So there was a debate between the candidates for Vice President. Who "won"? Does it matter? These are the questions foremost on the minds of political nerds. CNN ran an instant poll. The upshot: "No clear winner in VP debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance." Here's Politico's snap poll of likely voters: Dead even: POLITICO snap poll shows stark division on debate. "There was no decisive winner in the first-and-only vice presidential debate of the 2024 election."

There was a little bit of "fact-checking" by the moderators but the structure of many questions was already predicated on facts. Both the Washington Post and NPR have undertaken more comprehensive truth-telling investigations.The Washington Post checked 21 statements, 2/3rds of which were Vance's assertions, judged to be false or disingenuous or wrong or "a whitewash of Trump’s actions." Only three of the Walz statements were ruled "false." Two were said to be exaggerated. One was judged "true."

I counted 11 fact-checked statements in the NPR analysis. Ten were statements from JD Vance. Only one, the Tiananmen Square "issue" from 1989, was about Walz. That's a reach into the distant past: Vance was a young child then! Walz of course said he misspoke about being in China in June 1989. (He was there, but not until August that year.) And he was self-deprecating about it: "I've not been perfect, and I'm a knucklehead at times ... I got there that summer and misspoke on this." Surely that's enough said on what is after all a pretty trivial example of resumé fluffing.

In breaking news, the special counsel's last filing in the January 6 case is a "bombshell," according to abcNEWS.com. The New York Times article is a bit more restrained but the headline announces a key fact: "Judge Unseals New Evidence in Federal Election Case Against Trump." The filing was originally sealed. Judge Chutkin herself made its contents public. In response to the US Supreme Court ruling that presidents enjoy absolute immunity for "official acts," the special counsel argues that the acts included in the superseding indictment were "examples of Mr. Trump pursuing electioneering activity in his private role as a candidate for office, not as protected acts taken in his official capacity as president."

To poll junkies, I want to say "just don't!" But since they're going to seek out polls every day regardless, everyone ought to know that the Marquette Law School poll, overseen by Charles Franklin, was published today. The headline tells the top-line story: Presidential choices in Wisconsin hold steady in new Marquette Law School Poll results, with Harris at 52% and Trump at 48%. The 4-point margin is the same whether the responses are from registered voters or likely voters and also whether the test is head-to-head or includes third-party candidates. The margin of error is 4.4% for both registered and likely voters. So the news for Harris is pretty good in this state, but we're always within the "margin of effort.""

The poll also looked at the race for the Senate and found Baldwin besting Hovde 53% to 46% both among registered voters and among likely voters. Notably, "enthusiasm among Democrats is slightly higher than among Republicans in this poll, with 71% of Democrats saying they are very enthusiastic and 67% of Republicans also very enthusiastic." But the spread is wider if we consider the sum of those who are very and somewhat enthusiastic about the November election: 91% for Democrats and 84% for Republicans.

The final nuggets from the Marquette poll: of the 10 presidential candidates who will be listed on the Wisconsin ballot, only Tim Walz is viewed favorably! Harris is -3, Trump -11, Vance -13. Of the also-rans, Jill Stein comes in at -17 with RFK Jr a close -15. The preponderance of Wisconsin voters — 34% — consider themselves "moderate." Of those voters, 61% intend to vote for Harris! Voters for Trump include 94% of Republicans, 39% Independents, and 1% of Democrats (really?). But 99% of registered voters who consider themselves Democrats and 61% of those who consider themselves Independent say they are voting for Harris. As Simon Rosenberg (Hopium Chronicles) says, "I'd rather be us than them."

Voting everywhere, it seems, is more complicated than it needs to be. And Wisconsin seems to rate high on the list of places where it is often confusing. We do our best to bring you accurate and timely information about aspects of Wisconsin voting rules. Absentee voting is underway. You can request an absentee ballot at MyVote.WI.gov until October 16. In some places you can use a drop box to return the voted ballot. But in other places, like Glendale, you either have to put the certification envelope with your ballot inside into the US Mails or you have to return it in person to the clerk's office in your municipality. The same site can confirm your registration status, help you re-register if necessary, tell you how to contact your municipal clerk, and give you the location of your polling place.

Early in-person voting begins on Tuesday, October 22, and in most places ends on Friday, November 1. Visit our early voting page for specific information for your municipality. The City of Milwaukee has different locations, days and times for early voting. You'll find that information here.

The rest of the Elections 2024 pages provide some fabulous ads and other video content for the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz campaign. We also have a Side-by-Side Comparison of Key Campaign Issues. There's a little information about Project 2025 for you to read. (I plan to augment the page in the next week.) Perhaps the most important information for this election, though, is the Constitutional amendment on the November 5 ballot. Here's our page explaining what it is, why it's wrong for Wisconsin, and why you need to vote no. Once you've looked at it, please spread the word to family, friends and colleagues.

Here are some of the THINGS TO DO.

• North Shore Fair Maps, Monday October 4, 7:00pm (CT): "We'll Be Ready!"
  This virtual meeting will feature Alice Herman (The Guardian), Scott Thompson (Law Forward) and Alex Dubinsky (WisDems Voter Protection). The best way to prepare for the 2024 election season is to understand it. At our final pre-election meeting we go behind the curtain to see the Trump/MAGA and Democrat ground game (what Alice Herman sees and hears from voters); learn what lawyers are doing to be ready for controversy (Law Forward is gearing up); hear how voter protection experts will insure a free and fair election (the WisDems VoPro team is hard at work); and find out what WE can to do to help. We will also get a Fair Maps update from our own Carlene Bechen. SPECIAL NOTES: THIS MEETING IS CLOSED TO THE PRESS: NO RECORDING OF THIS MEETING WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE. Register.
• Souls to the Polls.
  Souls To The Polls (STP) is planning to drop flyers at homes in the neighborhoods surrounding several early vote sites. We really need volunteers to help in this important effort. The Early vote begins Tuesday October 22 and ends Sunday November 3rd. We have set two dates for door hanging the Souls to the Polls flyers. We plan to meet at the parking lot in front of the Police Station at 2333 N 49th St Milwaukee, WI 53210 on Saturday Oct. 19th at 10 am and Sunday Oct. 20th at 1 pm. We will get the flyers and maps to the volunteers and go over the details to get people started with the distribution in that neighborhood. The flyers include a phone number to call Souls to the Polls if someone needs a ride to go vote and information about early voting. This will be putting lit in doors. No door knocking. If you can volunteer, please e-mail Leanne Wied or call her at 262-366-5356.
• Republicans for Harris/Walz Weekly Phone Banks, Every Wednesday at 6:00pm Online.
  This election is about ensuring a better future for our country. We all know what's at stake, and your voice can help elect Kamala Harris and defeat Donald Trump in November. By connecting with Republican and Independent voters, we can build bridges and bring more people into this movement for change. Whether you've volunteered before or are new to phone banking, we welcome everyone. Your participation is crucial in reaching out to voters, having meaningful conversations, and getting them ready to cast their ballots for Kamala Harris. Sign up.

The events listed below are full of canvassing opportunities. If you can canvass, please sign up for at least one shift. We're in the penumbra of the election. Some of us have already voted! And there's no time to lose. If you can't canvass, please sign up with me (Nancy Kaplan) to phone likely Democratic women who recently received a post card encouraging them to vote for Democratic candidates. These follow-up phone calls focus on the Constitutional amendment almost no one seems to know about. They also encourage people to vote early if at all possible. It's important that we beat the MAGA Republicans. But it is also important that we defeat the proposed amendment.

We are also preparing handouts for students on the UWM and MIAD campuses. We could use more volunteers to help talk to students about voting. On UWM's campas, the Zelazo Center will be open for early in-person voting. And the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center will be a polling place for people in wards 123 and 126 in Milwaukee. If you'd like to sign up to hand out flyers, contact Norma Gilson.

YARD SIGNS! While they last, of course. You can pick one up at Cheryl Maranto's: email or text (414-429-1583 ) her to make arrangements. Mark Gennis has some as well. Again, contact him by email .

EVENTS

Friday, October 4

Saturday, October 5

Sunday, October 6

Tuesday, October 8

Wednesday, October 9

Thursday, October 10

Wednesday, October 16

SAVE THE DATE

Thursday, October 17

Tuesday, October 22

Wednesday, October 23

Wednesday, October 23

other important links

Become a Member of Grassroots North Shore	Milwaukee County Democratic Party
Support Grassroots North Shore	Ozaukee County Democratic Party

Visit Grassroots North Shore on Facebook and Like Us!

{{broadcaster.name}}
www.grassrootsnorthshore.com