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THREAD! Wisconsin has an election on April 7. Dems urgently pushing expanded vote by mail. GOP ruthlessly opposing. At stake: a state Supreme Court seat that could tilt November's entire election. If you can, chip in: http://wisdems.org/forward & read/RT this mind-blowing story--
Nationwide, every other state has delayed their April election, authorized officials to delay, or switched to ~100% vote by mail. ONLY Wisconsin plans to send voters to the polls, even despite a statewide #SaferAtHome order from @GovEvers. Here's why⊠https://www.nytimes.com/article/2020-campaign-primary-calendar-coronavirus.html
Wisconsin's April 7 election isn't just a presidential primary. There are local elections statewide. But what the GOP is obsessed with is our state Supreme Court--specifically, electing the man they know will rule for Trump on voting rights cases this fall. GOP lawyer Dan Kelly.
Remember the right-wing lawsuit to force a purge of 234,000 Wisconsin voters? It's on hold, bc our state Supreme Court deadlockedâbc Dan Kelly recused himself. (Bad optics, purging voters before your own election.) But if Kelly wins? Recusal out. Purge in. https://madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/justice-daniel-kelly-says-he-would-reconsider-participating-in-voter/article_6b395c09-33fe-5cd6-9fcd-ce1b7e0707ba.html
There could be any number of other cases about voting rights before November's election. And the GOP knows that suppressing even just a few thousand Democratic votes could tip America's must-win state for Trump. It's the core of their strategy. (READ THIS) https://newrepublic.com/article/156861/republican-voter-suppression-tactics-trump-2020
Dan Kelly is a 100% reliable partisan operative, wearing judicial robes. For example, he opposed stronger anti-corruption rules for judges--and then, declining to recuse himself, ruled over and over for the right-wing group on whose advisory board he sat. https://www.corruptkelly.com
Ruling for the interests of his campaign donors, such as big oil companies seeking to avoid accountability for oil spills in Wisconsin? Check. Holding fundraisers at gun ranges the day after Milwaukee's mass shooting? Check. Backed by Koch network? Duh.
The GOP's nightmare scenario is a victory by Judge Jill Karofsky - http://jillforjustice.com - who is running for Justice because she actually believes in, you know, justice. Former domestic violence special prosecutor. Believes in civil rights. More shortly re how to help her win.
The GOP is pouring a fortune into manipulative scorched-earth ads smearing Karofsky as âsoft on crimeâ based on, you guessed it, lies. The ads claim she âwent easyâ on a rapist--in a case that she wasnât even involved in. Politifact says âpants on fire.â https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/27/republican-state-leadership-committee/ads-attack-jill-karofsky-over-sexual-assault-case/?build=native-web_i_p
Why are they paying so much money to spread lies about Karofsky? Because, as the Trump team said in a leaked campaign briefing, "if we win Wisconsin, we win the election. If we lose Wisconsin, we lose the election." Read more about why WI matters here: https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/1188874423983595521?s=20
SOâmega-stakes state Supreme Court fight underway in Wisconsin. And then COVID-19 hits. Everything changes. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin's massive organizing operation switches from door-knocking to all-virtual, helping folks get absentee ballots⊠https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/coronavirus-threatens-to-pose-an-unprecedented-challenge-to-the-2020-elections/2020/03/09/fc961ea0-6219-11ea-acca-80c22bbee96f_story.html
... but what we're seeing from the GOP in Wisconsinâfor example, this from #crucial Waukesha Countyâhas been an unrelenting wave of partisan attacks on @GovEvers, and a string legal & political actions to oppose making it easier to vote safely by mail.
What's going on? Simple: For many folks watching Fox, listening to Limbaugh, tuned in to TrumpâCOVID doesn't feel like a crisis.
On March 29, Civiqs found only 16% of Wisconsin Republicans were "extremely concerned." 67% were "a little"/"moderately".
https://civiqs.com/results/coronavirus_concern?uncertainty=true&annotations=true&zoomIn=true&party=Republican&home_state=Wisconsin
On March 29, Civiqs found only 16% of Wisconsin Republicans were "extremely concerned." 67% were "a little"/"moderately".
https://civiqs.com/results/coronavirus_concern?uncertainty=true&annotations=true&zoomIn=true&party=Republican&home_state=Wisconsin
Meanwhile, Democrats in Wisconsin have a much clearer grasp on the crisis, with 55% "extremely concerned", and only 11% "a little." Totally different informational universe. And the political & public health implications are vast.
https://civiqs.com/results/coronavirus_concern?uncertainty=true&annotations=true&zoomIn=true&party=Democrat&home_state=Wisconsin
https://civiqs.com/results/coronavirus_concern?uncertainty=true&annotations=true&zoomIn=true&party=Democrat&home_state=Wisconsin
To be clearâWisconsin is in the grips of a severe outbreak. Cases here are doubling every 3-4 days, and passed 1000 this weekend. The dying has begun. Health authorities tell us to limit interactions to 5 people, total, and stay home.
And yetâelection day is almost here.
And yetâelection day is almost here.
So, you might say, postpone the election! Switch to vote by mail! Sorry: Republicans in Wisconsin have etched election administration rules into law, including via power-grab lame-duck legislation in 2018 designed to curb then-incoming- @GovEvers's powers. https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/419829-gop-lame-duck-power-grab-disrespects-wisconsin-voters
Poll workers are canceling en masse. Local clerks are screaming that they don't know how to run a safe election. The WI Elections Commission staff said they couldn't find hand sanitizer for pens people will use to fill in ballots. GOP response: no prob! https://twitter.com/MollyBeck/status/1243701518974451712
There are two clear paths to changing the rules. The first is the state legislature. The other is the courts. (More on that in a sec.) @GovEvers has called on the legislature to actâto mail ballots to registered voters. GOP leg leader called it a "hoax." https://twitter.com/GovEvers/status/1243591395484372992
One mind-blowingly bad law in WI is that to request an absentee ballot, you have to upload a photo of your voter ID. @GovEvers proposed at least waiving *that* requirement. (Hard to get an ID while stuck in your home.) GOP has rejected that, too. https://twitter.com/PBSWI/status/1244269679734149120
GOP brick wall in the legislature. So @wisdems and @TheDemocrats, with @marceelias, sued in federal court to make absentee voting easier. Won a change in deadline for online voter registration (deadline tonight, March 30!). But Republican Party intervened to oppose safer voting.
The mayor of Green Bay sued to get the election delayed & switched to all-mail. âWe need to recognize the impossible choice that weâre forcing on people, which is your health or the right to vote,â he said. GOP intervened to oppose. That case lost. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/us/politics/wisconsin-primary-coronavirus.html
An array of civil rights groups called for the election to be delayed, and filed suit as well.
GOP response: "That seems to me it would really undermine the election if we donât let the process to continue as we are," said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2020/03/26/wisconsin-election-lawsuits-over-coronavirus-voting-add-chaos-voter-id-absentee-ballots-postpone/2919422001/
GOP response: "That seems to me it would really undermine the election if we donât let the process to continue as we are," said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2020/03/26/wisconsin-election-lawsuits-over-coronavirus-voting-add-chaos-voter-id-absentee-ballots-postpone/2919422001/
Under Wisconsin law, if you mark that you're "indefinitely confined" on your absentee ballot request, you don't have to upload a voter ID. Two clerks decided that anyone who can't get a voter ID now should just mark that box. Republicans immediately sued.
https://www.wispolitics.com/2020/wisgop-urges-supreme-court-to-rule-voters-cant-get-around-voter-id-for-absentee-ballot-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/
https://www.wispolitics.com/2020/wisgop-urges-supreme-court-to-rule-voters-cant-get-around-voter-id-for-absentee-ballot-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/
The League of Women Voters sued to address one glaring problem with the current rules during an era of social distancing: to vote absentee, you need a witness to sign your ballot envelope. That's now been combined with other suits. GOP? Opposing them all. https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime-and-courts/lawsuit-seeks-to-bar-signature-requirement-for-absentee-ballots-during/article_6a734eb2-df63-5d0d-b271-9836eea8dab2.html
Lawsuits are moving swiftly through the courts. It's still possible that a wise judge could order a change. But we can't wait for that. So we're surging in an unprecedented wave of virtual organizing for April 7: #WIMarchForward. And we need your help. http://wisdems.org/forward
Right now, field staff across Wisconsin are working with neighborhood team leaders and county party chairs to run virtual phone banks in which neighbors call neighbors & walk them through the process of voting absentee. In WI? Find a virtual event here: https://wisdems.org/events-nav/events/
Volunteers across the country are welcome too. Trust me: there's no more anxiety-reducing way to spend a day than making calls to voters in Wisconsin. Mark the days you want to call on this form, and we'll put you to work: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWH9SmtbYyi4c-h1Vx3IwYUeIaTBpRS5m_OGqwRCpaL_kVlw/viewform
And if you'd rather spend your day sending peer-to-peer text messages to help people request and return their absentee ballotâwe've got an organizer for that! Join our P2P text team by marking your availability on this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd8WI_AytHFCWZLsZ1CkfT9PIsCuKKru-u6G2Xx8jk0FxkXkA/viewform
And what if you're from Wisconsin and have moved away, but still have lots of friends back home? Contact them. And track your contacts. This is called "relational organizing," and it's a great way to spend the time between now and April 7. Sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeeKnTDaSqw68_H1dW2Fc7TrhDNl6PhXPK80lSyieEscOfFzQ/viewform
Not everyone is in a position to give right now. If you're in an economic free-fall, but have time, don't think about moneyâcontribute hours. Meanwhile, if you're lucky enough to be able to give, every dollar goes spectacularly far in this moment. Do it: http://wisdems.org/forward
- Until midnight on March 30, Wisconsinites can register to vote online.
- Until 5pm on Thursday April 2, we can request absentee ballots online.
- Ballots must arrive (by mail or dropped off) by April 7 to count.
That's what we'll be helping folks do. #WIMarchForward
- Until 5pm on Thursday April 2, we can request absentee ballots online.
- Ballots must arrive (by mail or dropped off) by April 7 to count.
That's what we'll be helping folks do. #WIMarchForward
And there's another key way to help: spread the word. People have a lot on their minds. But what happens on April 7 will affect November 3, which will affect the lives of every person on this earth. So, whatever else you do, please: amplify. & tag folks you think should see this.
In a world in free-fall, the one political constant is this: organizing matters. No matter what you look like, what language you speak, live in an apartment or a house or on a farmâyou matter, and your organizing matters now. That's how we win Wisconsin. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/wisconsin-election-swing/
Making sure that every eligible person can vote safely shouldn't be controversial. In fact, it's at the heart of living in a democracy. But one party would rather win by suppressing votes than earning them. Trump is very clear about it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/30/trump-voting-republicans/
That means it's on all of us to turn the tide. The COVID-19 crisis is a paradox: it makes it harder for democracy to function, and the lethal mismanagement that has made it so much worse underscores how vital democratic accountability truly is.
We have to rise to this moment together. If the other side insists on closing paths to voting for people who are endangered by coronavirus, let's reach out a virtual hand to those voters and help them through.
We have three crises underway: a health crisis. An economic crisis. And a crisis of democracy. There will come a day when all of them are behind us. The harder we work, right at this vertiginous moment, the sooner that day will come.
WISCONSIN THREAD UPDATE: We're enormously gratefulâwe're seeing a flood of energy and support both across Wisconsin and from around the country. Volunteers, donations, amplification... it makes a huge difference. Election day is now one week away.
Most cities and towns in Wisconsin are now reporting shortages of poll workers. To fill the gap, Gov Evers is asking state employees and large companies to help, with the National Guard as a last resort. https://twitter.com/Emilee_WKOW/status/1244997578581778433
We are still fighting in court to make this election as safe as possible. One key change we've requested: allow ballots to be *postmarked* by election day, not necessarily *received.* Because mail processing has slowed down due to COVID. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/make-election-safe-wisconsin-gears-primary-amid-coronavirus/story?id=69879453
Our organizers and huge network of volunteers are doing all they can to help people get their absentee ballots safely witnessed and returned. There are hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots that have yet to be sent in. So TONS of work to do. Help: http://wisdems.org/volunteer
Dan Kelly's likely support for the WI voter purge is emerging as a key issue in the race. And @judgekarofsky is rightly calling out Kelly for it. Voter suppression might be a key GOP strategy, but it's one they like to conduct under cover of darkness.
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/03/31/wisconsin-voter-purge-supreme-court-race-daniel-kelly-jill-karofsky-ethics-fight-recuse/5091095002/
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/03/31/wisconsin-voter-purge-supreme-court-race-daniel-kelly-jill-karofsky-ethics-fight-recuse/5091095002/
It's worth reading and amplifying this whole story about the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. It quotes a conservative lawyer now turning against Dan Kelly because of Kelly's plan to un-recuse himself in the voter purge case. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/03/31/wisconsin-voter-purge-supreme-court-race-daniel-kelly-jill-karofsky-ethics-fight-recuse/5091095002/
If you're lucky enough not to be in economic free-fall at this moment, consider a contribution to help us ratchet up our organizing to the highest possible level in the home sprint: http://wisdems.org/forward
