I had to make sure you saw this...

I don’t know if you’ve been watching what has been playing out in the critical 2020 battleground state of Wisconsin over the past several days… Despite the entire state being under a “stay at home” order and the Democratic governor trying in various ways to push back Election Day and extend absentee voting, Wisconsin WILL hold in-person voting today, with its citizens forced to risk their health, or even lives, to exercise their right to vote.

And the final word on this shameful attack on democracy? It came from the 5-4 right-wing majority on the U.S. Supreme Court!

In her dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg pointed out, “Either they will have to brave the polls, endangering their own and others’ safety. Or they will lose their right to vote, through no fault of their own.”

This attack on democracy comes at a devastating time and denies voters their fundamental right to cast a ballot all to give Donald Trump and Republicans an unfair advantage in one of the most critical swing states this November!

To recap this saga:

First, the Republican-controlled Wisconsin legislature resisted every effort to make voting accessible during the coronavirus pandemic – as recently as Saturday, shutting down those efforts in an emergency session called by the governor.

Following that, the governor announced an extension of absentee voting and pushed back in-person voting until June, but the Right Wing-dominated Wisconsin Supreme Court blocked his order.

Then, just last night, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 not only to stand with Wisconsin Republicans’ voter suppression and force Election Day to happen during the coronavirus stay at home order but also to overrule a previous lower court order that had slightly extended the absentee ballot submission postmark deadline … meaning all absentee ballots are now due TODAY by 8pm!

This outrageous attack on the public’s health and safety as well as our democracy itself is the latest salvo in a war on the right to vote, strategically orchestrated between Republican elected officials and the right-wing judges they fight so hard to get onto our courts.

It’s now clearer than ever that the only way we’re going to save our democracy and stop these attacks on the right to vote is by voting right-wing vote suppressors out of office. That’s why Wisconsin is at the very top of our list of Tier 1 target states in 2020 for our various electoral programs (which include support for state and local progressive candidates) and why we’re working so hard to defeat Trump AND flip control of the U.S. Senate, so we can get judges who actually believe in a democracy that will protect voters’ rights.

Today’s election in Wisconsin is not just for the presidential primary. It is actually the final, general election for several key state and local races.

Crucial to Wisconsin’s role as a swing state, there is a Wisconsin Supreme Court election on today’s ballot in which a far-right justice is up for election. And THAT election could determine whether a MASSIVE voter purge put forth by Wisconsin Republicans is allowed to move forward! That purge is based on highly suspect data and methods that could kick hundreds of thousands of voters off of the rolls and would, of course, disproportionately disenfranchise Democratic-leaning voters, particularly minority and low-income voters.

DNC official Maria Cardona, writing in The Hill, points out some interesting info about that right-wing Wisconsin justice:

Justice Dan Kelly, an incumbent with an exceedingly thin résumé, was appointed by former Governor Scott Walker. He's been endorsed by President Trump, and he's running his "nonpartisan" campaign out of the Wisconsin Republican Party Headquarters. Kelly has recused himself from that voter purge case, but he signaled last month he would likely rejoin the case after this election.

Wisconsin very well could be the most crucial swing state in this year’s presidential election. Wisconsin Republicans are fully aware of that fact and, just like far-right Republicans in other states, their loyalty belongs to TRUMP – not to their constituents or to the American values they swore to protect. And, apparently, the same goes for far-right judges.

Thank you for fighting for our democracy.

-- Ben Betz, Digital Director

P.S. PFAW put out a release last night that said:

"With this outrageous ruling the Supreme Court's far-right majority put not just its thumb, but its entire fist, on the scale in favor of making it harder for people to vote. This ruling will disenfranchise tens of thousands of Wisconsin voters in the midst of a terrible public health crisis, forcing them to choose between casting their ballot or risking their health and the health of others. If there were any lingering doubt that Republican aims of voter suppression were being aided and abetted by the courts and via far-right appointments to the bench, it was removed tonight."

This is an existential threat to our democracy and, even though these are difficult times, we can’t let Trump Republicans and the Far Right (including far-right judges) exploit the current crisis for partisan power grabs.

Radical Right extremists are trying to turn back the clock on a century of advances in civil rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, the social safety net and more… With Donald Trump in the White House, they’re waging an all-out assault on the fundamental pillars of our country – democracy, checks and balances, a fair and independent judicial branch, and core values like fairness, equality, and justice for all.

PFAW is fighting back every day with:

✔ Grassroots organizing
✔ Lobbying and advocacy
✔ Research and education
✔ Voter mobilization
✔ And more…

But we can’t do this vital work without the robust grassroots financial support of our members and activists.