By Democratic Party of Wisconsin
After saying that he would recuse himself from ruling on a case that has the potential to knock more than 200,000 people off the voter rolls, GOP-endorsed candidate for Supreme Court Dan Kelly went back on his word and signaled last week that he’d green-light the purge if re-elected on April 7.
If it goes through, the implications of the voter purge would be enormous for Wisconsin’s democracy. Up to 17% of voters in some communities would be removed from voter rolls. Young people and people of color would be among the communities most affected.
Looking at this case, it’s obvious that the far-right litigants are trying to do everything they can to give Republicans and Republican-backed candidates an unfair advantage in upcoming elections. They know that their easiest path to victory is to cheat and rig the system to their benefit and suppress Democratic votes along the way.
We saw this strategy in action when Kelly went back on his word and said he’d rule in favor of the purge. But the truth is that the voter purge is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to partisan attacks on our democracy launched by Republicans and their allies in an attempt to hold on to power.
In 2011, the GOP-controlled Legislature gerrymandered our legislative districts so egregiously to ensure a Republican majority that their maps were found to be unconstitutional by a federal court. They passed voter ID laws designed to make it more difficult for eligible citizens to vote. They tried to limit early voting. They even had to be taken to court to hold a special election in 2018. The list goes on and on.
The GOP’s plan is to suppress their way to victory in November and beyond. That’s why, now more than ever, we need a Supreme Court that will stop Republicans from abusing our judicial system to rig elections in their own favor. We need a Supreme Court that’s impartial and independent of special interests.
This isn’t possible so long as Kelly sits on the Court. He’s proven time and time again that he’s a partisan pawn, ready to do the bidding of President Donald Trump and the Republicans.
The winner of the April 7 Supreme Court race will serve until 2030. They’re going to shape the future of our state for a generation with a conservative majority on the court, ruling on important issues like redistricting, voting rights, and countless others. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that our very democracy is at stake in this election.
So, for the sake of our democracy, it’s crucial that we lift Judge Jill Karofsky up to the highest court in the state — and remove Trump’s ally Kelly from a position he never should have held.
In order to achieve this goal, we need to make sure that all of us cast our votes and make our voices heard. But we know that with the COVID-19 pandemic, it might not be safe for some folks — particularly the elderly and the immunocompromised — to vote in-person on election day.
Therefore, if you’re not sure that you can get to your local polling place on Tuesday, April 7, we’re highly encouraging you to request an absentee ballot be mailed to you immediately at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/VoteAbsentee . The deadline is Thursday, April 2 at 5:00 p.m.
This election is about making sure that a GOP-controlled legislature isn’t left unchecked as it tries to suppress the vote and cheat their way to power. This April, we have a chance to send the message that Wisconsinites will not tolerate corruption and partisan politics on our Supreme Court. We can do that by electing Karofsky.
