Saturday, February 08, 2020

VOTE

The Wisconsin Supreme Court primary is on Tuesday, February 18. We will choose two candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court to move on to the April 7 election. The three candidates are Jill Karofsky, a Dane County judge; Ed Fallone, a Marquette University law professor; and Daniel Kelly, a friend of Scott Walker who recently got a "shout out" from Donald Trump. 

Currently, conservatives, including Kelly, have five of seven Wisconsin Supreme Court seats. Voting in this election is incredibly important. A Supreme Court Justice's term is 10 years. Environmental, voting, energy, justice, and citizen rights are in the hands of the court. We must use this election to turn the balance. If we can move the needle to 4-3 this year, in 2023 we will have a chance to get back the court majority.

Are you registered to vote? Look yourself up at myvote.wi.gov. Do you need to register or update your registration? You may do that in your municipal clerk's office or at your voting place on February 18. If you need to register or update, be sure to have the correct proof of residence.

If you are a La Crosse resident, you may vote "absentee in person" Monday through Friday, February 10 through 14, from 8:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the City Clerk's office in City Hall. If you live elsewhere, ask your clerk. When you go to vote, make sure to take your ID

(By the way, a recent blog post by the ACLU, Block the Vote, lists many ways voters are being disenfrancised by draconian voter ID requirements. Wisconsin is one of the worst.)

The primary is Tuesday, February 18. Make a plan now and plan to vote either this week, absentee in person, or on election day. Wisconsin statute 6.76 grants time off for voting.  

6.76 Time off for voting.
1)Any person entitled to vote at an election is entitled to be absent from work while the polls are open for a period not to exceed 3 successive hours to vote. The elector shall notify the affected employer before election day of the intended absence. The employer may designate the time of day for the absence.
(2)No penalty, other than a deduction for time lost, may be imposed upon an elector by his or her employer by reason of the absence authorized by this section.
(3)This section applies to all employers including the state and all political subdivisions of the state and their employees, but does not affect the employees' right to holidays existing on June 28. 1945, or established after that date.

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