Today, thousands of Wisconsin residents will head to the polls to vote in the middle of a worldwide pandemic that has already claimed the lives of over 10,000 people in the United States. They will go to the polls and vote for the Democratic nomination for president as well as a crucial seat on their state’s supreme court. The Democratic nomination is all but a foregone conclusion, with Biden having a healthy lead over Sanders in the race, but the supreme court seat that is up for grabs between the conservative incumbent, Daniel Kelly, and a liberal challenger, Jill Karofsky. Their is crucially important to Wisconsin residents.
Currently, the Wisconsin supreme court is made up of four very conservative judge and two liberal judges. The conservative majority has been a harbinger of doom for civil liberties in Wisconsin. The State supreme court is currently trying to purge 200,000 voters from the rolls. A conservative majority would mean this would become a reality, in a state where voter ID laws already suppress voters. According to an NY Times article on this subject, 17,000 voters were turned away in the 2016 election for not having a proper ID. Voter ID laws are a different debate for a different time. They disproportionately effect minority and low income voters and act as a barrier for non voters becoming first time voters. I digress.
Wisconsin should not have in person voting today. People are, quite literally, risking their lives to work the polls and cast their vote. It was not going to be this way. The Democratic governor, Tony Evers, signed an executive order yesterday that would have postponed the in-person election and allowed more time for people to apply and receive absentee ballots. The Supreme Court of the United States, overruled that order along partisan lines in a 5-4 decision. The conservative majority of SCOTUS is the reason some people will contract COVID-19 at the polls in Wisconsin today. Their decision also required that all absentee ballots be returned to polling places today as well, meaning, people who applied in the last week will not get their ballots in time to turn them in.
If this seems unfair and enrages you, it should. Republicans are brazenly suppressing votes in the middle of a pandemic while making people risk their safety in order to vote. Unfortunately, this is should not be a surprise if you have been paying attention. Republicans have been suppressing voters for a long time and Wisconsin is ground zero.
In Wisconsin, the republican party holds a 64% of the seats in the state legislature but they only won 47% of the vote in their last state elections. This is a product of partisan gerrymandering that has seen legislative districts drawn to favor republicans. That is how they get away with suppressing voters, stripping the Democratic governor of his powers as he enters office and refusing to pass common sense gun laws.
Wisconsin is not as conservative as an outsider may assume, at least their most recent national election would leave you to believe. In 2018, Wisconsin residents voted for a Democratic governor (Evers) and a progressive Democratic senator (Tammy Baldwin). Their residents are ruled by a conservative minority.
This election, if won by Karofsky, would be huge in undoing the partisan gerrymander that as led to this reality. It would also keep voters on the register in a state that President Trump has to win in order to remain the President. Wisconsin residents should have been allowed to vote by mail from the safety of their own homes, the same manner in which the Supreme Court voted to force them to the polls today.
Wisconsin should be the “canary in the coal mine” for what the future of democracy holds during a pandemic. If the conservative, republican, “trumpian” minority continues to hold power, one day it will be you that has to risk life to participate in democracy. Voting should not be a partisan issue yet republicans continually suppress turnout in ways like this in order to maintain their power.
The Republican party wins when less people vote, which is why vote by mail, is not a position they take. This position should, again, should be universally accepted in any form of democracy. Democracy only works to its fullest when everyone participates. Some people will argue about voter fraud in order to speak against vote by mail. Voter fraud is entirely a myth. A study from the Washington Post analyzing voter fraud claims from 2000-2014 found their were only 31 credible instances of voter fraud out of over a billion ballots cast. This is what makes these arguments against vote by mail or same day voter registration or automatic voter registration and this SCOTUS ruling so frustrating and infuriating. There is no reason for people to be risking their health and well being to vote in a functioning 21st century democracy.
Luckily, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Elizabeth Warren have already come out in the last 24 hours saying the next bill to help cope with COVID-19 will include provisions and funding for voting absentee in elections in the near future. Knowing senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, President Trump, and SCOTUS, it is hard to be optimistic about a bill containing ways ensuring maximum voter turnout passing and being signed. However, states control their own elections so I implore everyone to reach out to a state rep and demand they begin expanding absentee voting for future elections. Below, is a letter I have already sent to my state Senator, Bruce Tarr.
Hi Bruce,
This is John Fosberry Jr., long time Gloucester resident and constituent of yours. First, I applaud your bipartisanship in the state legislature as the minority leader. I’m proud to be from MA, a state that serves as a leader for common sense governance. Thank you for your hard work during your tenure.
These times we live in are different. I’m worried for the future of democracy during this time of emergency. Already, we have seen issues with being able to vote in state primaries due to the current pandemic. I know our next state elections aren’t for a few months but I think it best to be proactive and push legislation making universal vote by mail an option for MA residents. It is a no brainer in my opinion. The more safe access to voting, the higher turnout will be, meaning democracy is practiced to its fullest capacity. I hope this finds you well and you consider this when discussing voting alternatives for the fall with your colleagues in the legislature.
Take care and stay safe.
-John
Thank you for reading. This was a long one but an important one. Please take care and stay safe.
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