Contact: Jacquelyn Kovarik, 414-436-9822, jacquelyn@vdlf.org
MILWAUKEE – Voces de la Frontera Action is excited to announce our full list of endorsed candidates for the Wisconsin Spring General Elections. Election day is April 6th, 2021 and early voting started today. These elections include one statewide race for Wisconsin State Superintendent, as well as local races for regional school boards, common council, and circuit courts. VDLFA endorses candidates based on their proven commitment to issues that directly affect our Latinx and immigrant communities, which include but are not limited to: strong police accountability measures; measures to end ICE collaboration with local law enforcement and to keep police out of our schools; proven support of a living wage and strong worker rights protections at the local level that include the rights of immigrant workers; and measures that encourage citizenship acquisition and tuition equity for our undocumented immigrant students. The future of Wisconsin public education is on the ballot, and it is vital that Wisconsin’s Latinx and immigrant voters show out and elect candidates who are committed to policies that will lift up our Black and Brown communities and students of color. Please find below details on our full list of endorsed candidates.
Voces de la Frontera Action Statewide Endorsed Candidates
- For the only statewide race, Voces de la Frontera Action is proud to endorse Dr. Jill Underly for Wisconsin State Superintendent.
- In Common Council races, Voces de la Frontera Action is proud to endorse:
- Nikki Conklin (Madison, D-9).
- Rebecca Kemble (Madison, D-18).
- Ayomi Obuseh (Madison, D-8).
- Yannette Figueroa-Cole (Madison, D-10).
- Brandi Grayson (Madison, D-14).
- Julia Arata-Fratta (Fitchburg, D-2).
- Natalia Taft (Racine, D-13).
- In School Board races, Voces de la Frontera Action is proud to endorse:
- Auntavia Jackson (Racine, D-6).
- Henry Leonard (Milwaukee, D-7).
- Dana Kelley (Milwaukee, D-4).
- In the Kenosha Circuit Court Branch race, Voces de la Frontera Action is proud to endorse Angela Cunningham for Circuit Court Branch 6.
Voces de la Frontera Action’s Spring Election GOTV Campaign
On Monday March 8th, 2021, Voces de la Frontera Action launched a statewide phonebank to ensure that members of our community have a voting plan; to assist with requesting and returning absentee ballots; and to ensure that our community members know what is at stake this election and who our progressive champions are. A dozen volunteers are making daily statewide calls in our six key regions: Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Waukesha, Kenosha and Green Bay. And today, March 23rd 2021 as early voting starts, VDLFA launched our door-t0-door canvas, which is taking place in Racine and Milwaukee. This canvas is mostly youth-led, by members of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (YES!) and is targeting Latinx wards and wards of some of our endorsed candidates. This canvas will run daily over the next two weeks, and will culminate with a massive GOTV action on Election Day, with over 100 volunteers participating in Milwaukee and Racine. The VDLF canvas continues to follow our COVID-19 safety protocols that were implemented in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election.
Furthermore, VDLFA is currently revamping and staffing Voceros por el Voto, our community-centered relational voter program in which Latinxs and immigrants in Wisconsin encourage their friends and families to vote. This program increased Latinx voter turnout by 67% in the 2018 Spring Elections when it was first launched four years ago, and delivered historic Latinx voter turnout which helped flip Wisconsin blue in the November 2020 presidential elections. This election cycle the Voceros por el Voto network will continue to build Latinx voting power in Wisconsin as we push for our communities to show out and ensure a more equitable future for Wisconsin’s students of color.
