After months and months of tireless work from the entire ACLU of Wisconsin team, Election Day has officially come and gone – and there is a lot to be proud of.
GOTV Campaign
This cycle, we took on our largest early vote campaign to date, encouraging every voter we could to cast their ballots before November 3. Through digital ads, a weekly phone and text banking program, and in-person outreach, we reached well over 100,000 voters across the state, and mobilized hundreds of volunteers to roll up their sleeves and get involved.
We are overjoyed to see that all that work paid off, with some of the highest early vote totals Wisconsin has ever seen in a midterm.
Election Protection
As always, our team played an integral role in Election Protection, working closely with our coalition partners and a network of dedicated non-partisan volunteers across the state to ensure safe, easy, and secure access to the ballot box for every single Wisconsin voter.
For many years, the ACLU of Wisconsin has been engaged in Election Protection efforts alongside a broad coalition of non-partisan organizations across the state. We do this by working with our partners to provide individual assistance through the Election Protection Hotline, monitor and address systemic issues affecting access to the polls, and – when necessary – seek relief for voters in the courts.
For this election, we recruited and trained more than 200 attorneys and law students to spend all day monitoring Central Counts and polling places throughout Wisconsin to ensure that all voters could cast their ballots and know their votes were counted.
Governor’s Race
We also educated voters on where the gubernatorial candidates stand on key issues that impact the rights of all Wisconsinites.
The ACLU of Wisconsin invested in digital and streaming advertisements informing voters on each candidate’s record on immigration, and used social media to elevate their stances on abortion, elections, racial justice, LGBTQ rights, and cannabis legalization.
We also wrote extensively about the power a governor has to decide which bills become law and which are vetoed, and encouraged voters to vote no on a constitutional amendment that would make Wisconsin a less equitable place.
Looking Ahead
We know the work doesn’t end on November 3rd. We now know what state government will look like over the next few years, creating opportunities to protect and expand our civil rights and liberties in new ways.
Wisconsin’s next legislative session begins in January, when the leaders elected yesterday will draft, introduce, and vote on bills that will shape our state for years to come. We need to be ready to seize the moment, take action, and use the power we have to make our state a better place for all of us.
Voting is essential, but on its own it’s not enough to build the world we want to see. That work starts now – and we need you to join us.
Progress doesn’t happen on its own. It happens when ordinary people who share a common vision for the future come together and do the hard work to make that change a reality.
