This April, Wisconsin voters will have the chance to decide which party holds the majority on the state’s highest court.
Hold up: Another election? For what? Didn’t we just vote?
Yes, yes, and yes. But here’s why you should vote this spring, even if it’ll be your first time! Here’s why…
Most major policy decisions end up in the courts.
Abortion access. Marriage equality. Ridiculously drawn electoral maps. These are just a handful of the issues moving through Wisconsin’s court system right now. With one of the court’s four Republican-backed justices, Patience Roggensack, retiring, Democrats have a chance to win the majority.
Republicans want to use this seat to advance their policy agenda.
With their 4-3 majority, the current conservatives on the court have overturned Gov. Evers’ COVID-19 stay-at-home public safety measure, allowed former Gov. Walkers’ appointees to remain in their seats past the expiration of their terms, blocked Evers’ appointments, and banned voting drop boxes, as well as other methods that make voting more accessible.
The 2024 election could very likely depend on this race.
There were 203 election-related lawsuits in 2020 and 272 in 2022 that ended up in state courts across the country. “This might be the most high profile race in the country in the spring of 2023,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler told the Wisconsin Examiner. “The race will determine if a majority vote can elect a majority Legislature for decades to come. The Supreme Court race is electoral ground zero.”
Wondering who & what is on YOUR ballot this spring? Click here to find out.
Christina Lorey A former producer, reporter, and anchor for TV stations in Madison and Moline, Illinois, Christina has been a coach and mentor for Girls on the Run and has organized events for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
