Today is Election Day for the special election in Assembly District 24, a seat formerly held by the odious Dan Knodl. We should know by 9 or 10pm how this race came out. But I'm very hopeful. As I was hosting the North Shore canvass on Saturday, I learned that the Democratic Party had managed to get to the third pass of every turf in the district! That means each walk list went out three times, with the people a canvasser had already reached removed. Clearly coverage was outstanding and the number and commitment of volunteers must have been off the charts!

Grassroots North Shore's work included sending almost 6000 postcards and making almost that many phone calls — an outstanding effort for our hardy band. So a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who wrote, called and/or canvassed. Win or lose, and we hope it's WIN, we worked our tails off.

Our Wisconsin election cycles for the year may have drawn to a close, but there's always an election somewhere it seems. And on August 8, a weird election will determine the state of democracy in Ohio. The Republican-controlled legislature has concocted an Ohio constitutional amendment that would raise the percent of yes votes needed to pass a citizen-initiated referendum from 50%+1 to 60%. I wrote about this in last week's newsletter so I won't belabor the topic now. But I did want to reiterate that we should be helping to defeat the referendum called Issue 1. It's a ridiculous notion, of course, that voters would want to exercise less power in the future than they have now! There are two ways to help.

1. Volunteer to write letters to Ohioans with Vote Forward. The letters target young women. You can visit the Vote Forward guide for this project. And you can create a Vote Forward account to sign up. The organization will provide you with a template for your letter. As of this afternoon, the organization had 36,000 names and addresses that had not yet been assigned to a letter-writer. Letters need to be in the mail by August 1. So get cracking!
   
   
2. The Ohio Democratic Party, Indivisible Chicago, and a group of volunteers in DC are all holding phonebanks over the next two weeks. They're generally 2 hours long and in the early evenings. Training is included for those who've never participated in a phonebank before. Sign up with the group of your choice and make some calls for democracy.

The Ohio Issue 1 referendum is only one of a legion of voter restrictions passed or proposed all over the country. All of these efforts are concerning, but one state in particular has prompted the Guardian, a British publication, to publish Ten years of a crippled Voting Rights Act: how states make it harder to vote about the "wave of voter suppression across the country" the Roberts Supreme Court unleashed when the court ruled in 2013 that section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) was unconstitutional. As predicted, "states once covered by section 5 pre-clearance have enacted new laws requiring voters to show ID, cutting early voting, making it harder to vote by mail, aggressively removing voters from the rolls and implementing maps that blunt the electoral power of Black and Hispanic voters."

However, as Thomas Edsall argues in an op-ed in the New York Times on July 12, "within hours of the Shelby decision [to strike section 5 of the VRA as unconstitutional], Republicans announced plans both to enforce laws that had been blocked by the federal government and to pass laws designed to prevent Democrats from casting ballots." He goes on to ask "How effective has the onslaught of state-level legislation been at raising the odds for Republican candidates?" And his answer is not very. But the jury is still out. The rest of the article asks various election law experts to evaluate two key articles exploring the issue. Read the whole thing to understand the heat suppressive voting laws provoke and the light, if any, studying the outcomes has produced.

In a win that I hope is a harbinger of a similar outcome in Wisconsin, the New Mexico Supreme Court Rules That State Courts Can Review Partisan Gerrymandering Claims. The plaintiffs in the case contend that the partisan gerrymander violates the New Mexico constitution because the map currently both divides communities and splits counties and cities unnecessarily. It results, they say, in an unconstitutional gerrymander that achieves a partisan end. The court agreed and provided a standard for a lower court to apply to determine whether any given map amounts to a partisan gerrymander.

While I'm on the subject of voting and voting rights, you should know that National Voter Registration Day this year will be Tuesday, September 19. Grassroots North Shore will undoubtedly be participating in some voter registration activities that day and will want your help. So stay tuned for more information.

Right now, though, you can and should volunteer with the Democratic Party of Ozaukee County to staff their booth at the Ozaukee Fair, August 2 - 6. You can sign up for shifts here. As of this writing, the party needs help setting up on Tuesday, August 1, a Day Captain for Wednesday, August 2, and three or four shifts covered for each day of the fair.

In the same vein, volunteers are needed to staff the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County State Fair Booth, from August 3 - 13. It's important that we represent Democratic Party values, find volunteers to win elections, give our friends the information they need, and let the other side know we're not going away. The issues we face in the future are crucial and we will have the opportunity to come in contact with thousands of people during our time at the fair.  Sign up for a shift. There are 3 shifts per day: 10:00am - 2:00pm; 2:00 - 6:00pm; 6:00 - 9:00pm. You will be mailed a free admission ticket for each shift!!! Your contribution and effort to help make our booth a success is appreciated. If you have questions or problems with sign-up, contact Mary Jonker or call 262-497-4672.

I'm sure you've all seen or heard that TRE45ON received a letter from special counsel Jack Smith on Sunday announcing that he is the target of a DC grand jury investigation of the January 6, 2021, insurrection and the events that led up to it. May actual indictment(s) follow swiftly. And today, Judge Aileen Cannon is holding a hearing to try to sort out issues around the classified documents and the date for a trial in the so-called documents case. According to the Washington Post, Judge Cannon "did not set any new date for the trial, saying she would consider both sides’ arguments and make a decision on the timing 'promptly.'" Plus DA Fani Willis is still on track to issue charging decisions in the Fulton County, Georgia, investigation in the next few weeks. It's probably time to stock up on popcorn, folks.

Now is the summer of our .... writing letters to Ohio? Yep. Wisconsin does not have any more elections (knock wood) until February, 2024. But we cannot afford to estivate (i.e., go to sleep for the next 6 months). There's always an election somewhere, right? And while we cannot chase our tails about each and every one, the referendum taking place in Ohio is so important to our democracy that we should not pass it up.

Here's what's going on. The Ohio legislature — which like ours is totally gerrymandered and a wholly owned subsidiary of the MAGA mob — wants the voters of Ohio to amend the state's constitution so that it becomes harder for citizen-initiated proposals to pass. In Ohio, amendments to the constitution can either be legislature-referred or be citizen-initiated. Currently both types of proposed amendments require 50%+1 yes votes to be approved. The August 8 referendum — a legislative-referred amendment proposal — would change three rules for passing a citizen-initiated amendment.

According to Wikipedia, a YES vote would mean:

• Increasing the number of counties from which signatures are required to get an amendment on the ballot from 44 counties (50%) to all 88 counties (100%).
• Removing the 10-day cure period to fix any errors in the collected signatures.
• Increasing the passing percentage from 50%+1 of the vote to 60% on citizen-initiated referendums, but keeping the passing percentage at 50%+1 of the vote for legislature-initiated referendums.

A NO vote on Issue 1 keeps the Ohio Constitution as is:

• Keeps the number of counties from which signatures are required to get an amendment on the ballot at 44 counties (50%).
• Keeps the 10-day cure period to fix any errors in the collected signatures.
• Maintains the passing percentage of a citizen-initiated referendum at a simple majority (50%+1 vote).
• Does not create a difference between citizen-initiated referendums and legislature-initiated referendums.

Although the legislature SAYS this proposal is not aimed at any particular issue, it's clear that it's an attempt to stop Ohio voters from passing an amendment that "would establish a state constitutional right to 'make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,' including decisions about abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and continuing pregnancy" (Ballotpedia). The groups working to get an abortion rights amendment on the Ohio constitution "delivered nearly double the number of signatures needed to place an amendment on the fall statewide ballot, aiming to signal sweeping widespread support for an issue that still faces the threat of needing a significantly increased victory margin" (PBS News Hour, July 5, 2023). This sort of protection for women's rights is pretty popular in Ohio, as it has been elsewhere. But maybe not popular enough to pass a 60% threshold.

Needless to say, the proposed amendment is a direct and potent hit on Ohio citizens' ability to change their constitution. As Common Cause Ohio notes, the legislatively-referred constitutional amendment "is an attempt by powerful legislators to fool voters into giving away their power, so politicians can get what they want, instead of what the people want. Eliminating majority rule would mean that a minority of voters could override the will of the people, and would strengthen the power of the state legislature at the expense of the voters."

• Increasing the number of votes to pass a citizen-initiated amendment from 50%+1 to 60% simply means that a minority of citizens can block what a majority of citizens want.
• Requiring petition signatures from all 88 counties, instead of the 44 now needed, means that one county can prevent a petition from appearing on the ballot even if the people in the other 87 counties want it.
• Passing this constitutional amendment would give the legislature more power and would seriously undermine citizens' rights, taking one more giant step away from our representative democracy.

Two other states, Arkansas and South Dakota, placed similar measures on the ballot. And both were defeated. 

The effort in Ohio is just one of many ways to create and bolster minority rule. We've seen efforts to reduce voter turnout among college students (Cleta Mitchell saying the quiet part out loud) and to suppress the votes of minority communities (Robert Spindell, a Republican member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, crowing about the work Republicans did to suppress the Black and Hispanic vote in Milwaukee).

At the federal level, the structure of the Senate and the Electoral College both work against majority rule. Wyoming, with its population of fewer than 600,000, has as many senators as California, with a population of nearly 39 million. So their voting power in the US Senate is the same. And because the number of votes in the Electoral College each state receives is a sum of the number of the state's Representatives in the House plus the two to account for the US senators, the representational weight of one vote in a small population state — like Wyoming (3), Delaware (3), West Virgina (4), Rhode Island (4) and many others — is much greater than the representational weight of one vote in a populous state like California (54).

In his book, Laboratories of Autocracy, David Pepper "explains how gerrymandering in 2010 has fueled a decade of corruption and rigged elections" (The Cascadia Advocate, February 27, 2022). And gerrymandering is a big piece of why the Ohio legislature wants to pass its anti-democratic constitutional change. The result of aggressive partisan gerrymandering is a legislature full of unaccountable legislators, representatives who are virtually unbeatable at the ballot box. Since these people face no credible competition, they are free to pass legislation that the majority of a state's citizens oppose. And when the governor of the state comes from the same political party, the hateful legislation becomes law. In Wisconsin, exactly this process brought us Act 10! In Wisconsin's November 2024 election, Democrats won 53% of the votes overall for the Assembly but Republicans sit in 63 of the 99 seats because our state's election maps skew that heavily toward Republican districts.

SO TAKE ACTION. This is the final week of the special election in Assembly District 24. Election Day is Tuesday, July 18. Grassroots North Shore sent out almost 6,000 postcards and has made the same number of phone calls to promote Democrat Bob Tatterson to fill the currently open seat. The Events list below is chock full of opportunities to canvass for him in Germantown, Grafton, Menomonee Falls, and Mequon. For those of us in the North Shore, there's a convenient staging location for you to pick up a list and some lit. So don't sit on your hands this weekend or on Monday and Tuesday next week. Click on a link and take a step (really a bunch of them) to make Wisconsin's legislature a bit better!

OK, so maybe like me you can no longer canvass the way you once did. Here's something else you can do. Help out in Ohio. Vote Forward has mounted a letter-writing campaign to urge citizens in Ohio to vote "no" on Issue 1 in the special election on August 8. The organization provides the names and addresses as well as a template for your letters. Why is this organization engaged in trying to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment? Here's their answer: "Vote Forward is engaging in this special election because this proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution is an attack on democracy, and on the power of every Ohioan's vote. We're making sure voters understand what's at stake in this special election, and encouraging young women voters in particular to turn out and vote to make their voices heard." You can take part in this important effort to strengthen democracy in Ohio. Read the Vote Forward instructions and then sign up! (The sample letter on the page is the one they use for regular elections, not the referendum in Ohio.) Early voting has already started in Ohio. So there's no time to lose!

Last week, I announced I was not going to produce a newsletter this week. But I've changed my mind. Partly that was because I wanted one more chance to encourage you to sign up and attend our Grassroots North Shore party — To US: A Celebration of our nation's 247th birthday. John Nichols will treat us to a no-doubt rousing speech, inspiring us with hope for the 2024 elections. John leads an extraordinary life as the National Editor of The Nation and as Editor of Wisconsin's own progressive publication, Capitol Times. In addition, he's a frequent guest on MSNBC and the author of many political books. In short he has the perfect blend of national and Wisconsin political knowledge. Don't pass up this chance to hear him live.

The party — complete with cake and beverages — will also feature Bob Tatterson, the Democratic candidate for Assembly District 24. We need to get him over the finish line to prevent our local MAGA types from ramming through their "election integrity" schemes designed to keep them in power forever! (We did dodge a bullet on that one, which I explain in more depth below.) The party will be held on Sunday, July 9, at Doctors Park (1870 E Fox Lane) in Fox Point, from 3:30 - 5:30pm. So sign up, bring your friends and families and some lawn chairs!

A more pressing reason for wanting to write this newsletter, though, was the avalanche of Supreme Court rulings that were released last week. Many of us were deeply worried about the outcome of Moore v. Harper, a case that asked the Supreme Court to find that state legislatures and only state legislatures could determine the rules for federal elections. The plaintiffs in the case wanted the court to interpret the Elections clause of the Constitution to mean that state courts and governors could have no role in drawing congressional districts, determining who is eligible to vote, how ballots can be distributed and returned, and many more issues. And their plenary (or total) power in this area would hold even if they violate their own state's constitution. As Richard Hasen, a prominent constitutional and election law scholar, put it in an article in Slate (June 27, 2023), the ruling "made clear that legislatures do not have this free-floating power, and that one must understand the legislature’s power within the ordinary system of state government, including judicial review." (That's the bullet we dodged: the court's complete denial of what is known as the Independent State Legislature Theory.)

Nevertheless, Hasen finds a black cloud in what is otherwise a huge relief. "In the last part of his majority opinion for the court, the chief justice got the liberal justices to sign on to a version of judicial review that is going to give the federal courts, and especially the Supreme Court itself, the last word in election disputes." In essence, Hasen points out that the kind of ruling that the US Supreme Court issued in the Bush v. Gore and that awarded Florida's Electoral College votes to Bush was precedent-setting. "The Supreme Court has now set itself up, with the assent of the liberal justices, to meddle in future elections, perhaps to even decide the outcome of future presidential elections (as it has done in the past)."

There were a few other rulings the court released last week that were pleasant surprises for progressives:

1. In Allen v. Milligan, SCOTUS upheld Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, barring "election practices that result in a denial or abridgement of the right to vote based on race." The ruling requires Alabama to redraw its congressional district map to create two congressional districts, not just the one majority minority district in the current map. Both of these districts must have a reasonable chance to elect representatives that voters in minority communities prefer.
2. In Haaland v. Brackeen, the court upheld the Indian Child Welfare Act, meaning that it is constitutional to seek to keep Native American children with Native American families rather than separating them from their families and preferring to place Native American children who have to be removed from their families either with extended family or with foster families who are also Native American.
3. In US v. Texas, the court ruled that Texas and Louisiana lack standing to challenge the Secretary of Homeland Security's guidelines for immigration enforcement.

There were several other big cases whose reactionary decisions were handed down at the end of June. They included Biden v. Nebraska, a ruling that the Secretary of Education does not have authority under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act to set up a loan forgiveness system. President Biden is seeking to ground his proposed program on a different law.

In two cases, Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina and Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, the court held that the affirmative action admissions programs violate the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment, an amendment whose purpose was and is to allow remedies for the harms and disadvantages that flowed from slavery — not to protect those already privileged! In essence, selective schools may no longer use race even as a factor in admission decisions, striking down all affirmative action programs in college admissions. (For an interesting view of how affirmative action has affected college admissions nationwide, see this article in the New York Times today. I've gifted it to you so you won't have to breach the paywall.)

And of course, the court ruled, designing a wedding website, like baking a wedding cake, is an act of free speech. Therefore the wannabe web designer who has yet to design anyone's wedding site is free to discriminate against hypothetical same sex couples who have yet to request one from her business that also does not yet exist (303 Creative LLC v. Elenis). The implications of this ruling go far beyond websites, wedding cakes, and the LGBTQ+ community. It might be used as the thin edge of a wedge, with potential application to interracial marriage and other civil rights!

Because there does not seem to be a viable path to reforming the structure of the US Supreme Court — such as expanding the number of justices, imposing term limits, and other proposals to rein in some of the worst outcomes — our only recourse is to win more elections. Seriously. At every level of government and at every opportunity. It will be a long hard slog to wrest control of the court from the radical right, but we have no choice. So, we have a special election in AD24 that needs everyone's help. You'll find the Events listings overflowing with opportunities to canvass for Bob Tatterson. Please help if you can.

Last week the newsletter was late; this week it's early. And that's because I want to make sure you have an opportunity to attend Bob Tatterson's event from 5:30 to 7:00 on Monday, June 26, at SIP MKE (1515 W Mequon Rd, Mequon). You'll find the full description in the first item of the Events list. But you can also RSVP right here.

Also, if you have not yet signed up for To US: A Celebration of our nation's 247th birthday, you should. The event will be held outdoors in Doctors Park (1870 E Fox Lane, Fox Point) on Sunday, July 9 beginning at 3:30pm, and will feature one of Grassroots North Shore's favorite speakers, John Nichols. John is the National Editor for The Nation, Madison Editor of the Capitol Times, author of Dollarocracy and other books, and the Voice of Wisconsin Progressivism. And he always gives us inspiration to carry on the work of educating and persuading voters who care about the future of Wisconsin and the country.

Bob Tatterson will also be on hand and will speak at the birthday event. He's a terrific candidate with a real chance to win in this low, low, low turnout election to be held on July 18. So come out to cheer him on. Please RSVP so we'll know you're coming to the party. Bring a lawn chair and your family and friends.

And speaking of the special election in Assembly District 24, today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel publishes a piece about Tatterson's opponent that reveals his reaction to a costume competition in 2001. The winner wore an Aunt Jemima costume complete with blackface makeup! At the time, Paul Melotik "seemed less than outraged about the whole situation when he was interviewed several days later." When asked about it now, he basically shrugged and said he had noting to do with the Water Street Halloween party, even though at the time he was president of the Water Street Tavern and Restaurant Association, which sponsored the event and provided the $1,000 prize for the winner. At the end of the article, Daniel Bice writes: "At the very least would Melotik acknowledge that it's highly inappropriate for someone to don blackface while dressing up as Aunt Jemima? Nearly everyone agrees with that now, right?" Melotik finally coughs up a yes.

Another event you really shouldn't miss is the North Shore Fair Maps meeting on Monday, July 10, at 7:00pm on Zoom. The featured speaker is David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democrats and author of two books on the state of our nation and what we can do about it. The first book, Laboratories of Autocracy explores the ways statehouses have been undermining the democracies they were supposed to nurture. His most recent book, Saving Democracy: A User's Manual for every American, is exactly what the title says. You may have seen him recently on MSNBC discussing his latest. Our wonderful Lieutenant Governor, Sara Rodriguez will also attend the meeting. So sign up.

On the little matter of the fake electors in Wisconsin: in his weekly newsletter to Wisconsin Democrats, Ben Wikler writes: "From a slew of fake electors to the chief election denier himself, election conspiracy theorists were out in full force at the Wisconsin GOP’s convention last weekend, demonstrating that even years after Trump’s loss, the Republican Party is still dominated by the toxic election denialism that is profoundly alienating to Wisconsin voters."

Meanwhile, as our home state MAGAs parade around their state convention, it seems that Jack Smith, the special counsel investigating both the Mar-a-lago documents case and the January 6 case, has ramped the latter investigation. He's granted limited immunity to at least two of the fakes, from Nevada, and is compelling others to testify to the grand jury by the end of this month. CNN Politics notes, "That activity could signal that investigators are nearing at least some charging decisions in a part of the 2020 election probe." Also, the Department of Justice (i.e., Smith) has filed a motion in the documents case requesting that the trial date be set for December 11 this year. The postponement, the motion states, will allow enough time for TFG's lawyers to obtain the necessary levels of security clearance (see this piece in Reuters). And apparently the counsel's office expects the trial to be completed before Christmas.

There's a lot to say about the third party candidates as well as the also-rans in the GOP gearing up their campaigns and I will do a more comprehensive account of them in July. But an important item about Robert Kennedy, Jr., who has already declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination, is in the news right now. A few days ago Rolling Stone published "Pro-RFK Jr. Super PAC Has Deep Ties to Marjorie Taylor Greene, George Santos." The authors note that "There’s nothing abnormal about a candidate getting a Super PAC, even a candidate making a long-shot bid like Kennedy’s. What is abnormal, however, is that Kennedy is running as a Democrat in the Democratic primary, while the creators of the Super PAC have a deeply pro-Donald Trump bent — including ties to arch-MAGA officials such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, George Santos, and Herschel Walker." The article goes on to note: "It’s not just one MAGAfied Super PAC, however, that’s backing Kennedy’s run against President Biden in the Democratic primary. His bid is awash in support from Donald Trump’s allies in MAGA World, conservative media, and some of the Republican-donor elite." The point of this not-so-subtle GOP engagement is to make President Biden look weak by attracting a substantial number of votes during the primaries. Don't fall for it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth of July Holiday. I will be home by then but plan to take a one-week vacation from the Grassroots North Shore newsletter. So the next time you hear from me — unless there's another coup in Russia or we're in the path of an oncoming asteroid — will be on Tuesday, July 11.

I apologize for the late newsletter. I'm currently 'on vacation' and trying to keep up with my 6-year-old grandchild. So I was just too tired yesterday to get to this. But I'm here now!

The Fourth of July is rushing toward us and that means our next Grassroots North Shore event is also coming up quickly. We're holding a celebration for our nation's 247th birthday. In my family, we celebrate important occasions on the correct date if possible, but any nearby date that's convenient will also do. And that's what we're doing — on July 9, beginning at 3:30 at Doctors Part, 1870 E Fox Lane, Fox Point. We'll have cake, of course, but the big deal is what will no doubt be a rousing speech by John Nichols (National Editor for The Nation, Madison Editor of the Capitol Times, author of Dollarocracy and other books, and the Voice of Wisconsin Progressivism). If you've never heard John speak, you're in for a real treat. And if you have, you won't want to miss it. Sign up here.

The event — To US — will also feature Bob Tatterson, our candidate for an open seat for Assembly District 24. It's paramount to win this special election on July 18 to flip the district from its red history to a blue new day. And if we succeed, we will strengthen our ability to thwart MAGA Republicans in our legislature from attacking our fundamental freedoms. So enjoy beverages and birthday cake and spend time with others gathered to make a difference in our state and country. Bring a lawn chair and like-minded friends and family. And celebrate our stunning victory in April and the good work we're going to do together in the upcoming year.

Speaking of Bob Tatterson, he's about to make an order for yard signs and could use some help, both with funding and with distribution of the signs when they arrive. You could also canvass in the district. We'll do our best to pair you with a driver or another canvasser to make the effort faster and more enjoyable. We're only contacting people who are strong Democrats because, in a super low turnout election like this one, the key is turning out Democratic voters. The reports we've heard from the field so far is that few people we contact even know an election is happening! With your help, we can make sure that they know and that they vote.

The legislature looks poised to undermine Wisconsin's upcoming elections by failing to confirm Megan Wolfe to a second term as our election administrator. The election administrator is nominated by the Wisconsin Election Commission and must then be confirmed by the state Senate. For her first term, now ending, she was confirmed unanimously but now, of course, MAGA "politicians who helped sow the seeds of doubt about Wisconsin election results could reset election dynamics in a state pivotal to the 2024 presidential race" (ProPublica, June 15, 2023). If Wolfe is not retained, we will have a new administrator, one who is not as experienced as Wolfe and who might be, as the ProPublica article points out, "a staunch partisan or an election denier, tilting oversight of the state’s voting operations."

If we can be hopeful for a moment though, we might squint and see a slight decline in TFG's standing in his party. On June 15, Daily Kos ran Turns out crime doesn't pay: Trump's fundraising slides by Mark Sumner. It seems that not only did the indictments fail to boost his popularity, "the indictments weren’t even good for Trump when it comes to his wallet. Every time Trump gets in trouble, his well-oiled outrage machine reaches out to his massive email list with a cash ask." Yesterday, CNN reported that "his support has declined, as have positive views of him among Republican and Republican-leaning voters" and that "most Americans approve of Trump’s indictment stemming from his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office." The poll shows that among independents, Democrats and others outside the Republican party, "these [federal] charges are broadly viewed as disqualifying."

And on that uplifting note, I'll finish with this: please participate in at least one of the activities planned in our area over the next two weeks. Saturday, June 24, is especially replete with postive ways you can voice your concerns and support for a worthy cause, including a NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION with Reproductive Justice Action-Milwaukee at Red Arrow Park. Have a serious look at the Events list.

In last week's newsletter, I speculated that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act — the only remaining mechanism in the VRA that could still be used to challenge election maps — would be declared unconstitutional or at least further curtailed. I'm overjoyed to tell you that I was wrong. In a 5-4 decision, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh joined Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson in the majority. Because this momentous decision was released Thursday, June 8, it was overshadowed by the announcement that a grand jury had issued an indictment of the former president. NPR had a great account of the decision and what it means for Alabama and for minority communities in other states.

The indictment has dominated the news for days. Tuesday afternoon TRE45ON will be arraigned in Miami. No doubt everything will be obsessively filmed for posterity, including the transportation that brings him to and whisks him away from the court house. He's scheduled to rant that evening at 7:15 CDT from his Bedminster abode. I don't know which news outlets, other than Fox, Newsmax, and OAN, will carry it live. Because the indictment's had such thorough coverage, I'm not going to discuss it today. You can read the pdf of the whole 49-page document. It's meticulous and detailed but still an easy (and enjoyable!) read.

Instead, I want to alert you to an ongoing threat to our next presidential election, a threat almost no one has yet heard of: No Labels, a 501c4 organization aiming to put a third party candidate for president on the ballot in all 50 states and all voting US territories. Reasonable, commonsense, bipartisan governance is the way No Labels presents itself. And that sounds great, doesn't it? But it's a trap that will help elect TFG — a.k.a, the former guy. The organization has produced a map that purports to show how the No Labels nominee will win at least 270 electoral college votes. A memo from another nonprofit group, the Third Way, has written extensively on the effort. See Does No Labels’ Math and Map Get Them to the White House? The answer to the question? In no known universe does this math work. The memo makes a very detailed argument, the gist of which is this:

Even more worrying — the Third Way analysis used polling from December 2022 to show that the presence of a No Labels candidate would almost surely syphon enough votes from President Biden, or presumably another Democratic candidate, to elect the putative front runner for the Republican nomination, i.e. that abominable orange man. In an update to their original analysis, Third Way argues that even if the No Labels claim that their candidate would earn 70% of the undecided voters were true (which they are at pains to say it isn't),

Be On the Lookout (BOLO) for much more of this BS as we get closer to the election. As Third Way's memo notes, "History makes clear that the No Labels candidate is unlikely to win even a single state. The most successful third-party candidate since the dawn of the modern two-party system (Teddy Roosevelt) won only six states. And though the seven closest states in 1992 were all decided by less than 2.5 points, Ross Perot won zero of them."

—— Take Action ——

Support Bob Tatterson's run for the open seat in Assembly District 24. Election Day is fast approaching and in a super low turnout election — with nothing else on the ballot and in the middle of high summer fun — he who wins will have turned out more of his voters. So, voter contact is key. Most people in AD 24 are simply unaware that this election is taking place, our phoners and canvassers are reporting. Making strong Democrats aware is leading to more people requesting absentee ballots, or making a plan to vote early in person, or planning to go to the polls on election day. You can pitch in by

• volunteering with the campaign,
• donating to the campaign,
• making phone calls for Grassroots North Shore (email Nancy Kaplan),
• and canvassing with the Wisconsin Democrats.

All these methods work. But it takes many hands.

Even if you don't live in AD 24, consider attending a fundraiser for Bob on Monday, June 26. It will be held at SIP MKE (1515 W Mequon Rd, Mequon) from 5:30 to 7:00pm. RSVP via Act Blue.

You can strengthen our democracy by volunteering with Supermarket Legends to register voters at one of Milwaukee's 3 DMV's. This is indoors in a safe environment under supervision of DMV management. The Teutonia DMV schedules two-hour shifts weekdays 8:20am - 4:45pm. Mill Road DMV schedules Saturday morning. All training and materials are supplied. The approach is non-partisan. Supermarket Legends provides voter education and encourages voters to use absentee ballots. This is very productive and rewarding work. Contact James Balk.

Vote Forward is launching a new letter writing campaign to encourage voter turnout in Ohio’s August special election. So many reached out to request an Ohio-specific campaign, and we heard you loud and clear. Letters will be available starting this week!

Republican lawmakers in Ohio want to increase the voter approval threshold for constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%. Ohioans will have the chance to vote "no" on that proposed change in an August 8 special election.

The impetus for the attempt to make it harder for citizens to amend the constitution by referendum is the MAGA fear that the voters of Ohio will successfully protect access to abortion. If you would like to help defeat the change that would make it harder for voters in Ohio to make a change to the constitution that is responsive to a simple majority, sign up here.

While we're all holding our breath or crossing our fingers waiting for Special Counsel Jack Smith to indict TFG (see NBC News coverage), we're also waiting for the US Supreme Court to vitiate the remaining section of the Voting Rights Act that still permits aggrieved voters to turn to the federal courts for relief. That opinion, like the indictment, could drop any day now. (See NPR's coverage from October 2022 and an AP story in Daily Kos that also reviews the history of the Court's weakening of the Voting Rights Act.) In this pregnant pause, other important national news is not getting the coverage it deserves.

I want to call your attention to four pieces about how elections in this country are changing. First, Open Secrets — a nonpartisan nonprofit that tracks money in U.S. politics — recently published The nationalization of political contributions and the rising role of out-of-state donations. The piece demonstrates that "federal candidates are increasingly reliant on out-of-state contributions." But it opens with data from the April 4 election in Wisconsin. "Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal, outraised her conservative opponent Daniel Kelly five to one. More than $2.6 million of Protasiewicz’s $14 million fundraising haul came from out-of-state donors." So the percent of her funds from out-of-state remained modest compared to the money she raised in state, from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin as well as from individuals. The point is, though, that even down-ballot races are attracting funds from people who cannot vote for the candidate in question. And it may mean that big dollar donors, like the Uihleins, will dominate races everywhere.

Second, Republican-led states like Texas and Florida "have resigned their membership in the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, a nonprofit, nonpartisan data clearinghouse that helps states keep their voter rolls accurate and up-to-date" (New York Times, 6/6/2023). Why is this a problem? It turns out that ERIC is the only "comprehensive, secure and useful database of voter information. That information — drawn from voter rolls, D.M.V. records, Social Security death records and change-of-address data — gets analyzed, matched and compiled into reports that are provided to the states to help them clean up their rolls." Without ERIC, states have no way to communicate and coordinate voter information with each other.

ERIC uses states' information to identify people who have moved, either within a state or to another state, and have not remembered to change their status as a voter in their old location. But recently, MAGA Republicans have begun vilifying ERIC with the usual rhetorical accusations: the program is dominated by the left, funded by George Soros, connected to Democratic Party databases, and so on — none of it true, of course. And the point of the exodus? To allow voting rolls to become bloated and to foster a kind of chaos. That way they can point to poorly maintained voter rolls in their continuing efforts to restrict access to the ballot to shore up "election integrity." And Voila! Bring on more voter suppression.

Third, YouTube has now reversed its policy of preventing certain false "information" about prior elections from circulating on its platform. "YouTube will leave up content that says fraud, errors or glitches occurred in the 2020 presidential election and other U.S. elections" (Election Law Blog, 6/2/2023). The policy removing such content was established in December 2020, but now the company is concerned about squashing campaign speech without having a discernible effect on the threat of violence. The story first appeared in Axios.

This fourth piece returns to the pending Supreme Court decision on a case about racial gerrymandering. Richard Hasan, a constitutional law professor and scholar, and Dahlia Lithwick, a Slate reporter covering the courts and the law, find that There’s Unsettling New Evidence About William Rehnquist’s Views on Segregation. The article shows that, in 1952, Rehnquist seemed to support the infamous reasoning in Plessy v. Ferguson, a case that pronounced the 14th Amendment protected racial equality before the law but could not be the foundation for establishing social equality for Black people. Rehnquist still believed Plessy was correctly decided as late as 1993, when as Chief Justice he wrote a memo to Justice Sandra Day O’Connor saying "The Fourteenth Amendment prohibits discrimination; it does not require integration, and I think it is a mistake to intimate that it does even as a 'goal.'"

Hasan and Lithwick then draw the connection between Rehnquist's views and those of the current conservative justices: "Tragically, Rehnquist’s thinking on the 14th Amendment currently infects the conservative supermajority of the Supreme Court and could have devastating consequences for the end of this term." The piece concludes, "In short, Rehnquist consistently contended—and the current Supreme Court majority is likely to contend—that the Reconstruction Amendments were drafted not to protect disadvantaged groups from racially biased treatment at the hands of the government but rather to prohibit the government from using race-conscious measures to ever remediate inequality." If their reasoning is correct, we will see the court undermine the Voting Rights Act in their forthcoming opinion in Allen v. Milligan, a redistricting case "challenging Alabama’s congressional map" that diluted Black votes (Brennan Center for Justice, 9/29/2022).

On the large and increasing field of Republican candidates vying for the presidential nomination, Josh Marshal has an interesting (and somewhat amusing) take. Schrodinger’s Candidates: They’re Running and Not Running at the Same Time looks at the field and surmises that "aside from Trump, all of the people running for President in the GOP primary, with the semi-exception of Ron DeSantis, aren’t actually running for President. Normally, long shot entrants at least think they have some chance or they have some plan for career advancement by making a solid showing. But in this race, every candidate is in that category." Marshall posits that these people are probably thinking that running now is good preparation for their real campaign in 2028. He notes that "They’re running, sort of. But they’re not saying anything out of line with Trump and they’re definitely not criticizing Trump. Ferreting out the implicit critiques amounts almost to a latter-day variant of Kremlinology."

Last week, Politico published ‘Numbers Nobody Has Ever Seen’: How the GOP Lost Wisconsin. The piece asks "Did abortion make Wisconsin a blue state again?" It's long, chatty, and leans heavily on talking to and quoting people — some ordinary folks and some dignitaries from both parties. But it has some interesting bits. For example, it reveals that Scott Walker thinks his elections and Ron Johnson's were exceptions. Then Walker said, “Wisconsin has historically, and I think largely continues to be, a blue state.” An even more stunning statement reveals that "If you lopped Dane County off the map and didn’t count any votes there, Protasiewicz still would have won. Same thing if you excluded Democrat-heavy Milwaukee." The clincher for the 2023 election: Ben Wikler (Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair) said, "abortion was so salient not only in Democratic-leaning areas of the state, but in redder, rural areas, too." It behooves us to pay attention to how much this one issue moves the needle. "Abortion, while slightly more resonant an issue for voters in the Democratic-leaning media markets around Madison, Milwaukee and Eau Claire/La Crosse, was the main vote driver for Protasiewicz in every market in the state."

There's little of note happening just this minute in the Wisconsin's political scene. Hence my focus on big national issues. But I like to bow out with a little bit of spice. So here it is. From Talking Points Memo, "George Santos Falls On Sword For Mystery Donors: Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has told a judge he’d rather be taken into custody pre-trial than reveal the donors who co-signed on his $500,000 bond."

The big news of the weekend, of course, is the deal President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy reached to raise the debt ceiling until 2025. Before looking at the details, we should admire and rejoice at Dark Brandon's political jujitsu. The deal means that there will be no opportunity for MAGA Republicans to shut down the government during budget negotiations this fall and no opportunity to use the debt ceiling as a hostige again until after the 2024 elections. Masterful. But that's of course not all.

Although I am one of those people who thought the President ought not to negotiate at all with people who basically think it might be a good thing to crash the economy, Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo makes a really good point. Like me, he was adamantly opposed to Biden engaging in negotiations in the first place. But as he points out, "Something like this set of concessions was more or less baked in the moment Republicans won control of the House. There was always going to be a budget negotiation this fall that shifted fiscal policy to the right. Again, baked in as soon as Republicans won the House." He goes on to say, "That’s why to me this is a very big win both in policy and political terms. In fact, such a big win that I’m still not totally clear how it came about. Once Biden started negotiating and appeared to rule out extraordinary measures, I was sure he was going to get taken to the cleaners. Somehow he didn’t. Score another one for Dark Brandon."

Here at home, we're finally going to see some public account of how the phony elector scheme started and worked (or didn't, of course). Remember the matter of the bogus "electors" who tried to construct the pretext for overthrowing the 2020 presidential election? Well, the issue has new life. The Fake Electors lawsuit Democrats filed in May, 2022, has been set for trial on September 3, 2024, and is scheduled to last a month (Urban Milwaukee, May 25, 2023). Dane County Judge Frank Remington set the trial schedule last week. Democrats are arguing that "the 10 Republicans and two attorneys who advised them broke a variety of laws, including one that bans people from falsely acting as public officials. Plaintiffs are seeking punitive damages of up to $2.4 million." Jeff Mandell, the lead attorney for the Democrats, "noted that one of the goals for plaintiffs was to prevent Republican plaintiffs from serving as electors in future elections. Mandell said the next slates of electors would be chosen in October 2024."

In early May, the same judge ordered the Wisconsin Election Commission, which had unanimously rejected a complaint about these pretend electors, first filed in 2021, to revive it. In his ruling, Judge Frank Remington wrote, "To emphasize, Wisconsin voters chose none of these persons to serve as presidential elector — on the contrary, each had been named to serve as the potential electors for a losing candidate." You can read the details in full at the PBS News Hour. His order requires the Commission to give "no deference to or consideration of its previous decision."

Are you tired of the anti-majoritarian institution, the Electoral College, enabling a candidate to win the presidency while losing the popular vote? The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is for you: See Robert Reich explain it. Minnesota just joined the Compact. The matter is still pending in Michigan. It's of course a long shot in Wisconsin and not just because the state legislature is thoroughly controlled by a political party that stands to lose a lot of presidential elections in the future if the nationwide popular vote determines the winner. Wisconsin would stand to lose its outsized influence in presidential elections. Why? Because there would no longer be "swing states" who get all the candidates' attention (and advertising money!). Nevertheless, it is the only way to rid ourselves of minority rule through the structure of the Electoral College without amending the US Constitution. And boy would it be worth it. With the NPVIC, John Kerry would have won in 2000 and Hillary Clinton would have won in 2016!

One of our three branches of national government — the judiciary — has fallen into disrepute, it seems. Or perhaps it is just the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) that has earned the disapproval of the population. The latest Marquette Law School poll, released on Wednesday, May 23, shows that disapproval in the survey conducted May 8 - May 18 has reached 59% while approval has slumped to 41%. The same poll conducted one year ago showed approval at 44% and disapproval at 55%. This poll only began 2.75 years ago, in mid-September 2020. Since then approval has plummeted from 66% then to a mere 41% now. Disapproval has risen just as dramatically: from 33% in September 2020 to 59% now, an increase of 26%! We can see disapproval of the court rising rapidly in just the last five months. Among Republicans, approval has dropped nine points since mid-January, 2023. The ratio of disapproval to approval among independents has stayed roughly the same during that 5-month period: 2-1 disapproval. For Democrats, approval has dropped from 31% to 24% while disapproval has risen to 76%, a 3 to 1 ratio!

Make sure you're informed about the Special Election in Assembly District 24. The League of Women Voters Wisconsin plans to post its special election voter guide on VOTE411.org. If you live and vote in AD 24, make a note of the URL and check it periodically for useful information. (Right now it simply returns no information and states that there are no elections, which is wrong. So give it a week or so and then try.) Like Grassroots North Shore, the LWVWI reminds you that "it’s important to plan ahead to make sure you’re ready to be a voter. If you’re in the district, consider requesting your absentee ballot for the Special Election today! Also, help your friends, family, and neighbors make their voting plan." Election Day is July 18. The district encompasses Grafton (town and village), part of Mequon, Germantown (town and village), and Menomonee Falls. To find out whether you live in the district, visit the home page for the Wisconsin Legislature.

—— Take Action ——

You can send Bob Tatterson to the Assembly to protect essential freedoms, like a woman's right to choose, fully funded public schools, fair election maps, and much more. You can help in three ways if you live in Assembly District 24 (find out here by typing in your address):

1. Volunteer with his campaign.
2. Donate to his campaign.
3. Vote for Bob
   • by absentee ballot (request one at MyVote.WI.gov);
   • early in person from July 5 through July 14 (in the office of your village/city clerk);
   • or go to the polls on Election Day, July 18.

If you DON'T live in AD24, concentrate on numbers 1 and 2 above.

You can strengthen our democracy by volunteering to register voters at one of Milwaukee's 3 DMV's. This is indoors in a safe environment under supervision of DMV management. The Teutonia DMV schedules two-hour shifts weekdays 8:20am - 4:45pm. Mill Road DMV schedules Saturday morning. All training and materials are supplied. The approach is non-partisan. Supermarket Legends provides voter education and encourages voters to use absentee ballots. This is very productive and rewarding work. Contact James Balk.

Protesting is also taking action. In this case, telling your cable provider that you don't want to pay even more than you're paying already (probably about $2 per subscriber per month) to have Fox News as part of your "Basic Cable" offerings. Media Matters has produced a site that will explain the whole thing and allow you to register your #UNFOXMYCABLEBOX views. It even allows you to calculate how much you've unknowingly paid in fees to Fox News.

I have finally understood that both the Washington Post and the New York Times offer subscribers 10 "gift links" per month and that they can be used in the Grassroots North Shore newsletter! So from now on, you can use those links to penetrate the paywalls these two important publications use. So click on the links with abandon. It apparently doesn't matter how many recipients use the links, only that the limit of 10 applies to the sender. Hurrah!

Today's newsletter begins with TRE45ON's troubles. This afternoon, the judge in the criminal proceedings brought by District Attorney Bragg will reiterate his protective order that is supposed to prevent TFG from using the discovery phase of the trial to share any information gleaned from the prosecution's evidence or to make disparaging remarks about witnesses, the prosecutors or the judge (Washington Post, May 23, 2023). E. Jean Carroll is seeking to amend her still pending defamation case (stemming from TFG's time in the White House) to include his latest remarks defaming her during his CNN Town Hall (ABC News, May 22, 2023). And Special Counsel Jack Smith has issued a subpoena to the Trump Organization for records of foreign business transactions since 2017 (Salon, May 23, 2023). Meanwhile, in Georgia DA Fani Willis has indicated that she will make indictments in all probability in early August (MSNBC, May 20, 2023). What with all these legal matters taking shape, it's a wonder the guy has time to golf!

Even his lawyers are deserting him. In a recent interview, Ty Cobb, "who worked for Trump from July 2017 and May 2018, said he was confident 'The Apprentice' star 'will go to jail' for obstruction for refusing DOJ requests to return classified documents after he left the White House." He told CNN's Erin Burnett last Thursday that “all they really have to do is show that Trump moved these documents at various times when DOJ was either demanding them or actually present. That he filed falsely with the Justice Department, had his lawyers file falsely with the Justice Department, an affidavit to the effect that none existed ― which was shattered by the documents that they then discovered after the search ― and the many other misrepresentations that he and others have made on his behalf with regard to his possession of classified documents." (Huffpost, May 21, 2023)

An article by Azi Paybarah and Jacqueline Alemany in the Washington Post spills the dirt former TFG lawyer Timothy Parlatore dishes on CNN just after he resigned from the classified documents case. According to Parlatore, he quit because Boris Epshteyn, a lawyer on the team and a close long-time associate of the orange man who once occupied the White House, “had really done everything he could to try to block us — to prevent us from doing what we could to defend the president.” And the critique did not stop there: “In my opinion, he was not very honest with us or with the client on certain things,” Parlatore said of Epshteyn. “There were certain things like the searches that he had attempted to interfere with.”

Two big issues are on my mind lately. The first is the spate of book-banning all across the country but especially in Florida. Finally, someone is taking to the courts to push back. In DeSantis’s book banners face a tough new foe: Angry moms with lawyers, Greg Sargent notes: "In one of the big political surprises of 2023, pockets of stiff resistance have sprung up to defend teachers, textbooks, novels and libraries against censorship efforts across the country. These efforts just took an important turn, with a lawsuit filed by Florida parents in federal court Wednesday to try to stop book bans in school libraries in Escambia County. In an important twist, the lawsuit doesn’t directly target DeSantis’s laws or directives. Instead, it argues that the removals themselves are unconstitutional."

The other big issue I've been stewing about is gun violence. This year has already been more horrendous than past years and it's only May. Paul Waldman, also in the Washington Post, asks How many guns will it take to make us safe? His opinion piece argues that gun advocates are tacitly using an argument akin to the raising-taxes-cause-diminishing-returns nonsense Republicans have long touted. "Good-guy-with-a-gun proponents imply that there exists a kind of Laffer curve of gun murders that will be our liberation. Recall the quack economic theory propagated by Arthur Laffer positing that raising tax rates slightly from a low starting point might bring in more revenue, but further increases would cause revenue to fall as people discouraged by taxation stopped working. Gun advocates seem to assume a similar arc for the relationship of guns to gun violence: At some point, there will be so many guns that the trends will reverse, crime will be deterred, and all arguments will be resolved peacefully." Yes, that does seem to be the gun nuts' basic argument. And if you believe that malarky, I might have a bridge to sell.

An intriguing post on Daily Kos speculates about how possible new congressional maps for Wisconsin after Judge Protasiewicz is sworn in to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, on August 1, might affect future elections in our congressional districts. The piece goes into substantial detail about two congressional districts that might be more competitive if new maps are adopted: WI 01 and WI 08. The more promising district is the 1st CD where the current representative is Republican Bryan Steil. The district encompasses southeastern Wisconsin and was once held by Paul Ryan. The optimism about CD1 is largely based on Protasiewicz's 53-47 win there. CD8 — Republican Mike Gallagher's district encompassing the Green Bay area — is somewhat more problematic. "OB-GYN Kristin Lyerly, who is one of the three doctors participating in Attorney General Josh Kaul's challenge to the state's 1849 abortion ban, says she's thinking about taking on Gallagher." Here's hoping.

And a final word on the upcoming special election in Assembly District 24. Bob Tatterson announced yesterday that he has gathered more than enough signatures to be on the ballot. Signatures are due in Madison tomorrow, May 24. Shortly after that we will know whether a primary will actually be necessary. One of the two Republicans listed on the Wisconsin Election Commission's form for tracking candidates has already turned in 369 valid signatures. The other Republican — Spencer Zimmerman, who oddly enough seems to reside in Janesville (well outside the boundaries of AD24) — has as yet filed neither a "Declaration of Candidacy" form nor any nomination papers. So we still don't know for sure whether there will be a primary. But we do know that Bob will need everyone's help. You can step up right now in two ways: (1) volunteer with his campaign; (2) DONATE.
Doctors Park, 1870 E Fox Lane, Fox Point
It's a party to celebrate our country's 247th birthday. John Nichols — National Editor for The Nation, Madison Editor of the Capitol Times, author of Dollarocracy and other books, and the Voice of Wisconsin Progressivism — will get us ready for 2024 with a talk on where we have been and where we are going. Bob Tatterson, now running in a special election for Assembly District 24, will also be on hand to speak, meet, and greet. Enjoy beverages and birthday cake. Bring your family, your folding chairs, and your hope for our future as we celebrate our good work in recent elections. RSVP.

If you missed some newsletters and want to catch up, you'll find them archived on our website.

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www.grassrootsnorthshore.com

Let's start with news about the AD24 election. First I want to correct an error. The 24th AD includes the following communities:

• In Ozaukee County: Town of Grafton (wards 1-6); Village of Grafton (wards 1-14); and City of Mequon (wards 1-4, 6, 10, 12);
• In Washington County: Town of Germantown; Village of Germantown (wards 1-14);
• In Waukesha County: Village of Menomonee Falls (wards 1-7, 9, 11).

It seems likely that there will be a June 20 primary involving at least two Republican candidates: Paul Melotik and Spencer Zimmerman. It is increasingly likely that Bob Tatterson WILL NOT have a challenger in the Democratic party. Nevertheless, if you live in the district, he will be on the primary ballot and really could use your vote. He could also use help RIGHT NOW getting signatures on his nominating papers. Again, if you live in the district and have not yet signed, please download the papers now, sign them (both as nominator and as circulator), and get them to Bob by Friday, May 19. The directions for filling out the form and for getting them to Bob are included.

We're now preparing to send postcards to support Bob Tatterson to 5000 strong and leaning Democratic women in AD24. And we need to buy a large number of stamps. The price of postcard stamps is set to increase on July 9 so we also want to purchase as many as we can to prepare for 2024. Help us beat the higher cost by donating to our stamp fund now. A roll of 100 stamps currently costs $48. You can send a check to Grassroots North Shore, PO Box 170684, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53217-8056. (Please write "stamps" in the subject line.) Or you can go online to support our election actions.

In other more-or-less local news, Alex Lasry will be at the Waukesha County Democratic Party meeting on Thursday, May 18. He's running to be one of two Wisconsin representatives to the Democratic National Committee. This is an important position and it would be worthwhile to attend, especially if you happen to live near Waukesha. RSVP if you can go.

Wisconsin Republicans are stalling elections reforms even though they're gung-ho on "election integrity" (whatever that means). The 545 items Republicans have stripped from Evers' budget bill include reforms unanimously backed by the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission. The WEC recommended establishing an Office of Transparency and Compliance that would be headed by an elections inspector general. See more about this issue in Urban Milwaukee.

As the legislature tries to wrestle with the budget, you might be interested in "How municipal governments would fare under Assembly Republicans’ and Tony Evers’ shared revenue plans."

The "fake electors scheme" in Wisconsin is back in the news in two different judicial rulings, both by Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington. A lawsuit filed a year ago by two Democratic electors and a voter "alleges that the defendants broke several criminal and civil laws when they met at the Wisconsin state Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, in an attempt to cast the state’s electoral votes for Trump." The defendants wanted the lawsuit broken up and refiled in each county where a "fake elector" lives. Judge Remington ruled that "the law requires that the case be heard in Dane County where it was filed." The lawsuit seeks $2.4 million in restitution and disqualification of the 10 Republicans from serving as electors in the future.

In another action, Judge Remington ruled that the Wisconsin Election Commission must "reconsider a complaint filed against fake Republican electors." The election commission had dismissed the complaint earlier and had allowed Robert Spindell, one of the commissioners, to participate in the decision even though he was one of the "fake electors." The WEC and Commissioner Spindell together with those who had filed the complaint reached agreement that Spindell would not participate in the new WEC deliberation and decision. "The complaint asked the elections commission to investigate the fake electors' actions and declare that they broke the law (Spectrum News)."

Steve Schmidt, a former Republican consultant and prolific Substack author, writes today about the latest book-banning in Florida. The opening paragraph reads: "The state of Florida has banned textbooks that focus on the Holocaust under Governor Ron Desantis’s censorship laws that politicize and corrupt the teaching of history in Florida. All of this is a type of sick performance theater — a grotesque kabuki. Ron DeSantis has made an assessment that the fastest way to climb the greasy pole all the way to the top and reach the MAGA throne room is by engaging in poisonous theatrics that have come to include censorship of books about the Holocaust."

It's quite a long piece, ending with an address Elie Wiesel — Nobel Laureate, Holocaust survivor, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom — delivered to the United Nations commemorating Auschwitz on January 24, 2005. Schmidt and Wiesel both insist on the "obligation of future generations to bear witness" to the Holocaust, which Schmidt calls "a singular event in human history." Schmidt ends his post with the following sentences: "There is a new extremism rising, and it is happening in America. It is being led by men like Ron DeSantis." Will there be any blowback from this book-banning and others? Is this really what we as a nation have become?

Enough darkness for one day. So here's your woo-hoo goody for the week: Racehl Maddow interviewed E. Jean Carroll and Robbie Kaplan last night. Carroll is likely to file another defamation lawsuit against TFG for remarks he made just the day after a jury found him liable for sexual assault and defamation. According to Kaplan, the potential new lawsuit won't have to adjudicate liability because it's already been adjudicated. Meaning that the new one, if it materializes, will only have to show that the former president defamed Carroll, again.

And one more thing: a Randy Rainbow tribute to Ron DeSantis. You'll love it.