Tuesday’s election of Judge Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court and down-ballot victories across the state reflect the nationwide resurgence of worker power and the determination and tenacity of SEIU members in Wisconsin.
“After 15 years of conservative control of the Supreme Court, working people elected a judge who will respect the freedoms of all Wisconsinites, no matter how much money we have, our gender, or the color of our skin,” said Louis Davis, executive director of SEIU Wisconsin.
“Working people won despite racist efforts to suppress our votes including the plan to decrease turnout in the overwhelmingly Black and Latino areas of Milwaukee that Republicans bragged about,” Davis said.
SEIU members knocked doors, phone banked, participated in rallies and connected with reporters to educate coworkers, neighbors, and family to get them to the polls.
By combining forces with Power to the Polls, SEIU’s canvassing program reached 84,000 doors in Milwaukee, Racine, Appleton and Green Bay. In addition to the Supreme Court, canvassers focused on local races that may have an impact on vote tabulation in 2024, resulting in victories in the Green Bay and Racine mayoral elections and the Outagamie County Executive race in the Appleton area.
The voter outreach program also included more than 15,000 calls, 200,000 mailed pieces and 250,000 texts as well as digital ads that reached 535,000 voters across the state.
This victory means Wisconsinites could finally make progress on key issues such as:
- Rolling back the 1849 law banning nearly all abortions so all working people in Wisconsin — Black, Brown, Asian and white — have the freedom to decide for ourselves if, when and how we become pregnant and whether or not we stay pregnant.
- Restoring workers’ rights to organize in a union
- Ending gerrymandering by restoring fair maps so our legislative districts reflect our communities and give us a fair shot at electing people who represent us
- Respect for our freedom to vote freely and safely so all Wisconsinites — no matter what our race — can have equal say about decisions that impact our lives.
