This election was a sham. It will cost votes--and lives. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Wisconsin's Unconscionable Sham
The state’s election was a danger to public health and a democratic travesty—all to help Republicans suppress more votes.
Wisconsin might have just decided the November election for Trump at the expense of its own citizens' lives.
As of April 7, the state's primary election day, there were 2,511 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, with the disease continuing to spread. Thanks to Wisconsin Republicans and the U.S. Supreme Court, the people of our state had to make a terrible choice: would they risk their lives to vote?
Depending on where you are, the risk is not equal. In many counties, you can count the number of confirmed cases on one hand. Head up north to Door County and there are only four confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no deaths.
Milwaukee, however, has suffered more than half of the confirmed cases so far. At least 85 people in our state have died -- 45 of them in Milwaukee, and most of them black.
In the last week, I started seeing news that Wisconsin voters had extra time to request and submit absentee ballots -- until April 13. More than a million people requested absentee ballots, and many had not received them by election day.
After the GOP-controlled legislature refused to act, the governor issued an executive order delaying the election until June. The Wisconsin State Supreme Court overturned it. Then the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Wisconsin absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
How can your vote count if the state didn't send you an absentee ballot in time? Simple: it doesn't. With all the confusion and mixed messages, who knows if Wisconsin voters even know what the rules are. How many missed their chance to vote?
In-person voting is a mess too.
Milwaukee usually has 180 polling places, but this time got only five. The lines ran for blocks -- a risky move in light of the pandemic. For residents who had health concerns or couldn't take hours to stand in line, tough luck.
And who knows how many extra people will get sick, be hospitalized, or even die because we held this election?
We held this insane election now because conservative majorities on two courts -- the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court -- decided we must, overturning decisions by our governor, Tony Evers, a Democrat.
Why are we on this crazy suicide mission?
It's about a state Supreme Court race, the major ticket on our ballot. The candidates were incumbent Daniel Kelly, a conservative, and challenger Jill Karofsky, a liberal. With massive voter disenfranchisement across the state, particularly in Democratic strongholds like Milwaukee, Republicans believe that Kelly will win.
In a post on Facebook, historian Heather Cox Richardson, breaks it down even further. This is about voter suppression in the presidential race.
Wisconsin is a purple state. Barack Obama won the state by over 200,000 votes in 2012. Yet after Wisconsin Republicans -- who enjoy a gerrymandered supermajority in the statehouse -- passed a strict voter ID law that disenfranchised thousands of Black and Latinx voters, Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by less than 23,000 votes.
After this election, our state Supreme Court is going to decide on whether or not to remove more than 200,000 people from Wisconsin's voter rolls. The winner of today's election will be the deciding vote. Kelly's expected to vote yes, Karofsky to vote no.
Purging the voter rolls would help Republicans.
This election was a sham. It will cost votes--and lives.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Wisconsin might have just decided the November election for Trump at the expense of its own citizens' lives.
As of April 7, the state's primary election day, there were 2,511 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, with the disease continuing to spread. Thanks to Wisconsin Republicans and the U.S. Supreme Court, the people of our state had to make a terrible choice: would they risk their lives to vote?
Depending on where you are, the risk is not equal. In many counties, you can count the number of confirmed cases on one hand. Head up north to Door County and there are only four confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no deaths.
Milwaukee, however, has suffered more than half of the confirmed cases so far. At least 85 people in our state have died -- 45 of them in Milwaukee, and most of them black.
In the last week, I started seeing news that Wisconsin voters had extra time to request and submit absentee ballots -- until April 13. More than a million people requested absentee ballots, and many had not received them by election day.
After the GOP-controlled legislature refused to act, the governor issued an executive order delaying the election until June. The Wisconsin State Supreme Court overturned it. Then the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Wisconsin absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
How can your vote count if the state didn't send you an absentee ballot in time? Simple: it doesn't. With all the confusion and mixed messages, who knows if Wisconsin voters even know what the rules are. How many missed their chance to vote?
In-person voting is a mess too.
Milwaukee usually has 180 polling places, but this time got only five. The lines ran for blocks -- a risky move in light of the pandemic. For residents who had health concerns or couldn't take hours to stand in line, tough luck.
And who knows how many extra people will get sick, be hospitalized, or even die because we held this election?
We held this insane election now because conservative majorities on two courts -- the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court -- decided we must, overturning decisions by our governor, Tony Evers, a Democrat.
Why are we on this crazy suicide mission?
It's about a state Supreme Court race, the major ticket on our ballot. The candidates were incumbent Daniel Kelly, a conservative, and challenger Jill Karofsky, a liberal. With massive voter disenfranchisement across the state, particularly in Democratic strongholds like Milwaukee, Republicans believe that Kelly will win.
In a post on Facebook, historian Heather Cox Richardson, breaks it down even further. This is about voter suppression in the presidential race.
Wisconsin is a purple state. Barack Obama won the state by over 200,000 votes in 2012. Yet after Wisconsin Republicans -- who enjoy a gerrymandered supermajority in the statehouse -- passed a strict voter ID law that disenfranchised thousands of Black and Latinx voters, Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by less than 23,000 votes.
After this election, our state Supreme Court is going to decide on whether or not to remove more than 200,000 people from Wisconsin's voter rolls. The winner of today's election will be the deciding vote. Kelly's expected to vote yes, Karofsky to vote no.
Purging the voter rolls would help Republicans.
This election was a sham. It will cost votes--and lives.
Wisconsin might have just decided the November election for Trump at the expense of its own citizens' lives.
As of April 7, the state's primary election day, there were 2,511 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the state, with the disease continuing to spread. Thanks to Wisconsin Republicans and the U.S. Supreme Court, the people of our state had to make a terrible choice: would they risk their lives to vote?
Depending on where you are, the risk is not equal. In many counties, you can count the number of confirmed cases on one hand. Head up north to Door County and there are only four confirmed cases of COVID-19 and no deaths.
Milwaukee, however, has suffered more than half of the confirmed cases so far. At least 85 people in our state have died -- 45 of them in Milwaukee, and most of them black.
In the last week, I started seeing news that Wisconsin voters had extra time to request and submit absentee ballots -- until April 13. More than a million people requested absentee ballots, and many had not received them by election day.
After the GOP-controlled legislature refused to act, the governor issued an executive order delaying the election until June. The Wisconsin State Supreme Court overturned it. Then the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Wisconsin absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.
How can your vote count if the state didn't send you an absentee ballot in time? Simple: it doesn't. With all the confusion and mixed messages, who knows if Wisconsin voters even know what the rules are. How many missed their chance to vote?
In-person voting is a mess too.
Milwaukee usually has 180 polling places, but this time got only five. The lines ran for blocks -- a risky move in light of the pandemic. For residents who had health concerns or couldn't take hours to stand in line, tough luck.
And who knows how many extra people will get sick, be hospitalized, or even die because we held this election?
We held this insane election now because conservative majorities on two courts -- the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court -- decided we must, overturning decisions by our governor, Tony Evers, a Democrat.
Why are we on this crazy suicide mission?
It's about a state Supreme Court race, the major ticket on our ballot. The candidates were incumbent Daniel Kelly, a conservative, and challenger Jill Karofsky, a liberal. With massive voter disenfranchisement across the state, particularly in Democratic strongholds like Milwaukee, Republicans believe that Kelly will win.
In a post on Facebook, historian Heather Cox Richardson, breaks it down even further. This is about voter suppression in the presidential race.
Wisconsin is a purple state. Barack Obama won the state by over 200,000 votes in 2012. Yet after Wisconsin Republicans -- who enjoy a gerrymandered supermajority in the statehouse -- passed a strict voter ID law that disenfranchised thousands of Black and Latinx voters, Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by less than 23,000 votes.
After this election, our state Supreme Court is going to decide on whether or not to remove more than 200,000 people from Wisconsin's voter rolls. The winner of today's election will be the deciding vote. Kelly's expected to vote yes, Karofsky to vote no.
Purging the voter rolls would help Republicans.
This election was a sham. It will cost votes--and lives.