The Tangled Web of Wisconsin’s 2020 Primary Election [SPLIT/MERGED]

[KaraBulut]

Re: Political Implications of the Coronavirus [SPLIT]

A few more dates to add to the timeline:

March 20
Governor Evers affirmed that the election would be held on April 7.
“We could move it to June and it could be worse in June, it could be worse in May,” said Evers. “I understand that it’s a difficult situation.”

March 20th: COVID-19 stats for Wisconsin: 206 cases, 3 deaths

March 25th: A very important date for the timeline: Wisconsin was put on state-wide lockdown on 25-March-2020

April 3rd: ProPublica publishes a story looking at racial disparities in COVID-19 reporting and specifically mentions Milwaukee:

As of Friday morning, African Americans made up almost half of Milwaukee County’s 945 cases and 81% of its 27 deaths in a county whose population is 26% black. Milwaukee is one of the few places in the United States that is tracking the racial breakdown of people who have been infected by the novel coronavirus, offering a glimpse at the disproportionate destruction it is inflicting on black communities nationwide.

April 6
Governor Evers issues executive order to postpone Wisconsin election until June 9 and calls another special session to convene on Election Day to address the issues presented by the executive order.

April 6th: COVID-19 stats for Wisconsin: 2,440 cases (1084% increase from 20-Mar), deaths 77 (2,466% increase from 20-Mar)

April 7th: WaPo publishes a story in which many of the people voting said that they had requested absentee ballots from the state but the ballots weren't sent.:

According to a tally compiled by the state election commission, more than 9,000 requested absentee ballots had not been sent to voters as of Tuesday, though some officials cautioned that the figure was not up to date.

It seems that the City of Milwaukee Election Commission somehow failed to communicate with other entities of consequence about the National Guard soldiers, which could have better informed their decision process. It is also obvious that the governor created widespread confusion by publicly announcing postponement of the election mere hours before it was scheduled to commence, particularly when his action to do so exceeded the scope of his authority.

There's a State Elections Commission that oversees ALL elections in the State. They were well aware of the shortages across the state. They sent the National Guard, not the local authorities:

The exodus left administrators scrambling. Reid Magney, spokesman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said officials had to hire more workers and deploy the National Guard to assist 111 municipalities that last week warned they didn’t have enough poll workers to open a single voting location.

“We’re not aware of any municipality where somebody is showing up and there’s no place to vote in that municipality,” Magney said.

And let's add to the timeline, Dec, 2018 when the Legislature decided that since there was an incoming Democratic governor, it was time to make some changes to early voting in Wisconsin... oh, and while we're at it, limit the power of the governor after the Republican Governor leaves office:

The outgoing Republican governor, Scott Walker, on Friday signed a package of bills passed by Republicans in the Wisconsin state legislature hamstringing the incoming Democrats in what has been characterized – even by some prominent Republicans in the state – as a “power grab”. Among the bills Walker signed out of the controversial lame-duck session was a bill to limit early voting in the state, a measure similar to one that was ruled unconstitutional and discriminatory in 2016.

I would like to add a few comments (in parens) to opinterph's excellent timeline:

What could possibly go wrong? (Yeah ... )

And by their own admission, there had been discussion between the Governor and the Legislature. Robin Vox, the Republican Assembly Speaker who initiated the lawsuit that overruled the governor's order, said that "a month ago" the Legislature and the Governor agreed to hold the election. March 20th is actually 18 days before the election, not a month. From the timeline, between the 20th and the 7th, there was a 1,084% increase in cases, and a 2,466% increase in deaths.

But Mr Vox, didn't seem to think that this mattered. Here he is being interviewed in his PPE on election day:

 

[cabinfever]

Re: Wisconsin Gerrymandering and Proposed Voter Purge [SPLIT]

I'm in Pennsylvania. Things are just a little different here.

We've had gerrymandering, big-time. I lived in the infamous 7th Congressional District...the one that on the map looked like Goofy kicking Mickey Mouse.

Before the 2018 election, the state Supreme Court threw out those districts. I now live in the 5th District, a compact contiguous district including Delaware County and South Philadelphia. And lo and behold, our first electee from the new district was Mary Gay Scanlon, who Ed Rendell endorsed on TV ads as "She'll be Donald Trump's worst nightmare."

And Pennsylvania has never made it especially easy to vote. We've never had any kind of early voting, and absentee ballots were not easily obtained. I have no idea how to get one. But our primary election has been postponed due to COVID-19 (not that it will make any difference)...and voting by mail is being offered to every voter in the state.

Our former Republican Governor who I happily voted for - Arnold Schwarzenegger - crusaded against gerrymandering and restored the districts and I see he is still on that crusade nationally. If more Republicans were like him I would have a much harder time deciding who to vote for though I doubt any Republican could convince me to vote for them for President because they are aligned with the senators and reps and policies I would never support.

Alot of people were pissed off because it was drawn to favor Liberals which I am one - but I favor fair and accurate representation more.

I wish all the underhanded bullshit would end. If you can't win fairly then you shouldn't win at all.

The Supreme Court scares me more than anything else at this point.

 

[Dominus]

Wisconsin GOP's attempt at voter suppression failed bigly!

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news...ill-karofsky-conservative-liberal/2983933001/

Liberal Jill Karofsky wins Wisconsin Supreme Court election, defeating conservative justice Daniel Kelly

MADISON - Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky won the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court, narrowing the conservative majority after a tumultuous election conducted in the midst of a global pandemic, according to unofficial results released Monday.

Karofsky’s victory marked the first time in a dozen years that a Supreme Court challenger beat an incumbent — and just the second time in more than half a century. Her win over Justice Daniel Kelly will shift conservative control of the court from 5-2 to 4-3.

Appearing by video conference from her home with her son and daughter behind her, Karofsky thanked her family and supporters and decried the decision to hold the election during the coronavirus outbreak.

"Look, we shouldn’t have had the election on Tuesday," she said. "It was an untenable decision (on whether to vote), but the people of the state of Wisconsin rose up.

"Anyone who wasn’t brought to tears when they were looking at those people in Milwaukee voting on Tuesday, and voting in Green Bay on Tuesday, just doesn't have a heart."

Suck it, republicans LOL.

 

[seven2go]

Re: Wisconsin GOP's attempt at voter suppression failed bigly!

I am still totally euphoric over Kelly's loss........
I SO love that that Walker appointee is toast.
It was THAT motherfucker, and him alone, who tipped the court decision into the shit hole.
Now the bought and paid for prick can revel in it.

 

[Sausy]

Re: Wisconsin GOP's attempt at voter suppression failed bigly!

Some very good news indeed. I hope karma has even more fun things in store for the GOP this November... topped off with Joe Biden as President and Democratic control of the Senate!

 

[rareboy]

Re: Wisconsin GOP's attempt at voter suppression failed bigly!

I also hope this is a sign of things to come for November.

 

[KaraBulut]

Re: Wisconsin GOP's attempt at voter suppression failed bigly!

The Supreme Court vote wasn't even close, much to the Republicans' shock. And of course, the Republican Party accused the Democrats of "rigging the election".

Under coronavirus cloud, Joe Biden wins Wisconsin and Dems take key state Supreme Court seat [Chicago Tribune]

The matchup pitted conservative Justice Daniel Kelly, whom former Republican Gov. Scott Walker appointed to finish out a term, against liberal Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky, who was backed by Democrats. In the final days leading up to the vote, Republican President Donald Trump repeatedly urged Wisconsinites to turn out to vote for Kelly, but it was not enough.

With 84% of precincts reporting, Karofsky had defeated Kelly, with 53.5% of the unofficial vote to 46.5%.

The state’s Supreme Court has a 5-2 conservative majority. With Karofsky’s win, the advantage will narrow to one seat.

The race was viewed as key by many in both parties, since the winner would have a role in deciding a case pending before the court that would purge 200,000 voters from the state’s rolls, an effort backed by Republicans and opposed by Democrats. A state appeals court earlier this year ruled against the effort...

Republicans insisted all along that voting last week was safe as polling locations took precautions to have voters practice social distancing in line while workers sanitized voting stations. They accused Democrats of trying to rig the election by pushing lawsuits trying to “chip away at Wisconsin’s voter integrity laws.”

“We’re disappointed in rule of law Justice Daniel Kelly’s loss,” the state GOP said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to stand up for the rule of law and supporting President Donald J. Trump’s reelection this November.”

 

[Dominus]

Re: Wisconsin GOP's attempt at voter suppression failed bigly!

Some very good news indeed. I hope karma has even more fun things in store for the GOP this November... topped off with Joe Biden as President and Democratic control of the Senate!

I still believe Clinton lost last time because of a couple main reasons: (1) Too many Bernie supporters voting for Trump as a protest vote because they thought Clinton was gonna win anyway and (2) too many people simply didn't bother voting because they thought Clinton was going to win anyway. All the polls said Clinton would wipe Trump out in a landslide. So, why bother voting for her or why bother voting at all? Just enough of these people did what they did to give it to Trump.

I sincerely hope people have learned their lesson this time around and will vote in November. It is an undeniable fact that liberal voters outnumber conservative voters by tens of millions. Yes, I said tens of millions. The problem is that young people just don't vote while old people always vote.

 

[rareboy]

Re: Wisconsin GOP's attempt at voter suppression failed bigly!

The Supreme Court vote wasn't even close, much to the Republicans' shock. And of course, the Republican Party accused the Democrats of "rigging the election".

Under coronavirus cloud, Joe Biden wins Wisconsin and Dems take key state Supreme Court seat [Chicago Tribune]

The worrisome fact remains though, that it is still a GOP majority...and that the voter suppression will be validated by their SC.

 

[Kyanimal]

Re: Wisconsin GOP's attempt at voter suppression failed bigly!

I still believe Clinton lost last time because of a couple main reasons: (1) Too many Bernie supporters voting for Trump as a protest vote because they thought Clinton was gonna win anyway and (2) too many people simply didn't bother voting because they thought Clinton was going to win anyway. All the polls said Clinton would wipe Trump out in a landslide. So, why bother voting for her or why bother voting at all? Just enough of these people did what they did to give it to Trump.

I sincerely hope people have learned their lesson this time around and will vote in November. It is an undeniable fact that liberal voters outnumber conservative voters by tens of millions. Yes, I said tens of millions. The problem is that young people just don't vote while old people always vote.

Affirming option (2): I voted for Hillary, but I can't say I did it enthusiastically. She seemed to automatically assume she was going to win, and wasn't really fighting for it. She was coasting. I was not impressed. So, my vote for her wasn't so much FOR her, as it was AGAINST Agent Orange, the Mango Moron. Wisconsin wasn't all that fired up.

Which brings me to an option (3): The Donald won Wisconsin by .7% of the vote. Not exactly a resounding victory, but it was enough. Thing is, there were more people who under voted, that is went to the polls but didn't check a choice for the presidential race, than there were the number of votes that "IT" won by.

This time around, I'm convinced he'll lose here even if he were running against my neighbor's cat! Wisconsin doesn't take kindly to being punked. The republican'ts are not going to be happy campers come November.

 

[KaraBulut]

Re: Wisconsin GOP's attempt at voter suppression failed bigly!

The worrisome fact remains though, that it is still a GOP majority...and that the voter suppression will be validated by their SC.

It is always important to remember that Wisconsin is the state that brought us both Robert LaFollette Jr and Joseph McCarthy. The pendulum in WI seems to swing pretty broadly. And while they are Wisconsin nice, they are as nasty in their politics as anyone else.

While nothing can be taken for granted, these little stunts like changing the rules after a Democratic governor gets elected and sending citizens out to vote in the middle of a pandemic are not going to sit well with Wisconsin voters.

If I were a WI Democrat, I would be focusing heavily on their State Legislature elections. They need to get their representation apportionment fixed and the 2020 census is the chance that they have to do it. It's going to take a while to undo the Americans for Prosperity influence influences from the Walker years but at least it will look more like a democracy.

 

[rareboy]

There is no question but that with the Koch's money, Walker has done extreme damage in Wisconsin.

And I hope that the voters of that state see how they are being abused and come for the GOP in November.

I keep thinking there's no way that they could vote Republican this year....but I wouldn't even count out wholesale fraud and changing ballots by the GOP in order to grab this state

 

[KaraBulut]

...And I hope that the voters of that state see how they are being abused and come for the GOP in November.

... The Donald won Wisconsin by .7% of the vote.

Kyanimal's comment was a good reminder of how close it was and how much voter motivation matters in battleground states.

The counties in Wisconsin where cows outnumber people can usually be counted upon to vote Republican but the past 3 years haven't been good to some of these farmers. Two big dairy conglomerates were pushed into bankruptcy and the trade wars with China and Canada didn't make these farmers' lives better. They may not be as motivated to see another 4 years of Trump.

But that gerrymandering problem is going to require some work to overcome... it's another case where having a majority doesn't equal victory.

 

[Sausy]

Also the whole concept of an elected, partisan state Supreme Court should be anathema to the concept of different branches of government having a break on the misuse of power of others. Judiciary of all should be independent and as non partisan as possible... I am talking about any party having control of the judiciary being a bad thing, particularly though this current incarnation of the GOP. This is not Lincoln's, Teddy Roosevelt's, or Dwight Eisenhower's Republican Party anymore by a longshot.

 

[rareboy]

^ I am grateful on so many occasions that Canada has no elected judges. Period.

It doesn't always mean that we are free from the political leanings of the judiciary, but it is impossible for them to have any real political influence.

It also helps that our election commissions are non-partisan...so gerrymandering is not possible, which means that the judiciary cannot be weaponized to enable voter suppression.

 

[opinterph]

Also the whole concept of an elected, partisan state Supreme Court should be anathema to the concept of different branches of government having a break on the misuse of power of others. Judiciary of all should be independent and as non partisan as possible...

Roughly one-third of all states choose Supreme Court justices through nonpartisan elections. In a few states they are chosen through partisan elections. In most states they are either appointed or selected through a merit process. The nonpartisan campaigns for judge or justice in my state typically emphasize a candidate’s basic approach to legal matters that may come before the court or emphasize other practical or social implications they will consider when going about the process of administering justice.

Nonpartisan election of judges (Ballotpedia)

 

[Sausy]

It's not ideal but nonpartisan elected races are much less of a problem than those few partisan chosen states. There's always going to be some stench of political consideration even with appointed ones, but it's the blatant partisanship that just does not belong in a branch like the judiciary, which whether sate or federal should attempt to be as impartial as possible. And not owe to a base, or subscribe to a strong ideology that clouds temperament and fairness.

 

[Sausy]

^ I am grateful on so many occasions that Canada has no elected judges. Period.

It doesn't always mean that we are free from the political leanings of the judiciary, but it is impossible for them to have any real political influence.

It also helps that our election commissions are non-partisan...so gerrymandering is not possible, which means that the judiciary cannot be weaponized to enable voter suppression.

ESPECIALLY with finding the best formulas for voter representation and not having partisans deciding how districts should be determined, I wish we used similarly independent election commissions. It just makes NO sense in a functioning representative democracy to have those in power arrange how the districts should look... because of course the first instinct is how to best preserve and expand that power. And the Supreme Court's unwillingness to stand against it(though saying the states can handle it... but that's one of the major problems...the fox guarding the henhouse analogy fits here) shows the utter hypocrisy and spinelessness of so-called conservative "originalists" and "strict constructionists".

 

[KaraBulut]

It's not ideal but nonpartisan elected races are much less of a problem than those few partisan chosen states. There's always going to be some stench of political consideration even with appointed ones, but it's the blatant partisanship that just does not belong in a branch like the judiciary, which whether sate or federal should attempt to be as impartial as possible. And not owe to a base, or subscribe to a strong ideology that clouds temperament and fairness.

One thing that was really reassuring during the past 3 years was the insight that Americans were given into how the courts and judges, particularly at the Federal level, have still managed to function in spite of the mess that exists in the Legislative and Executive branches. Even in SCOTUS, most opinions have carried a solid majority.

It's not a coincidence that several Southern States still have partisan elections for judges (PA and IL are the outliers), though. It's not difficult to guess why.

After seeing the McConnell court-packing operation and the way that Merrick Garland was treated, the way that the Courts are being [STRIKE]bought[/STRIKE] selected- whether through election or through appointment- isn't really working. In the appointment system, it's like a purchased mail-order-bride selected by special interest groups pursuing an agenda. With elections, it's about who has the most money and it can become the "dance with them that brung you" scenario.

The media also doesn't do us any favors by constantly pointing out which judges were appointed during which Presidency and which judges are members of which party.

Some states have a different approach- a retention election - where judges remain in office and the electorate has the option to remove the judge from office in an election.

And there's another group of States that use Assisted Appointment (aka the Missouri Plan) where a commission nominates candidates and the governor selects the nominee from that group of candidates.

 

[Sausy]

^ if you have a relatively pragmatic governor, that's not a problem. But where rigid ideology is king, even that kind of a more thoughtful approach towards judicial selection can be skewed.