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Right wing judge elected to District II Appeals Court, solidifying conservative majority
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Maria Lazar was elected to the District II Court of Appeals on Tuesday. The conservative Lazar’s win solidifies a 3-1 conservative majority on the court, which decides appeals for the 12-county district that covers southeastern Wisconsin from Kenosha County to Sheboygan County, excluding Milwaukee County. Lazar defeated incumbent Judge Lori […]
City of Racine, Sen. Wanggaard at odds over absentee ballot return rules
City of Racine officials and Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) are in an election week dispute over how absentee ballots can be returned. The City of Racine, on a voter assistance website, has stated that ballots can be returned by someone who is not the voter. Wanggaard has said this opinion violates a January court order […]
What to know about the rules for voting on Tuesday
Wisconsin’s spring election is Tuesday with hundreds of candidates on ballots across the state for school boards, city councils, county boards and judgeships — along with referenda for funding government services such as schools and public safety. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If voters are waiting in line at 8 p.m. […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court denies Evers motion to supplement record in redistricting case
The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday denied a motion from Gov. Tony Evers requesting to add information to the court record in the case to determine Wisconsin’s new political maps. Early last month, the court ruled that maps submitted by Evers most complied with constitutional and legal standards and the parameters set by the justices. […]
Wisconsin’s Court of Appeals elections continue trend of increasing partisanship
The race for a seat on Wisconsin’s District II Court of Appeals has descended into partisan sniping in campaign ads, drawn the attention of out-of-state political action committees (PACs), and one candidate has received donations from some of the state’s most prominent conservative donors. Elections to Wisconsin’s courts of appeal, historically sleepy and under-the-radar affairs, […]
Clerks across Wisconsin work to make sure voters aren’t using drop boxes in spring election
At municipal drop boxes across Wisconsin, municipal clerks have placed large and often brightly colored signs nearby to make sure the boxes — used for delivering utilities payments, taxes and, until recently, absentee ballots — aren’t used in this spring’s local elections. The use of drop boxes, which has been common in the state for […]
Culture war battles in local school boards aren’t slowing down
For two years, school boards across Wisconsin have been the stage for culture war battles over school closures, mask mandates, education about race and LGBTQ issues. The rapid polarization and nationalization of local education debates has been alarming to some observers as the fights get infused into larger statewide debates and political races. Republican candidates […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court allows Sen. Johnson to file brief in drop box lawsuit
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Republican Sen. Ron Johnson will be allowed to file a non-party brief in a lawsuit that will decide the future of absentee ballot drop boxes and other methods for more convenient voting in the state. Republicans have focused on drop boxes and the practice of returning absentee […]
Gableman attorney says 2020 election can’t be decertified
At a hearing of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections Thursday that included further Republican conspiracism about the 2020 presidential election, an attorney for former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman said that the election can’t be decertified. For months, Gableman has been conducting a partisan review of the election, searching for evidence of misconduct […]
Kaul criticizes Republicans’ ‘anti-democratic’ actions in virtual event
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, in a virtual event on Wednesday, criticized a number of actions taken by the state’s Republicans over the past few years as anti-democratic and a purposeful thwarting of the will of Wisconsin’s voters. Kaul appeared Wednesday at a Wispolitics virtual luncheon in which he discussed legal issues such as public […]
Kenosha’s healing process and school board races shaken up by off-duty cop incident
The Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD) has been upended following an incident earlier this month in which an off-duty Kenosha Police officer, serving as a security guard, put his knee on the neck of a 12-year-old girl as he tried to break up a fight. The incident has thrown a wrench in the community’s attempt […]
Early voting starts for April 5 election in Wisconsin
Early voting in Wisconsin’s April 5 spring election began on Tuesday with local races across the state on the ballot, including Milwaukee mayor, seats on court benches, county boards, city councils and school boards. Voters are able to return absentee ballots to their local clerk’s offices, designated polling places or drop the ballot in the […]