According to WisPolitics, the deadline for JoAnne Kloppenburg to request a recount is three business days from today. Since Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus refused to give us a clear explanation, she must resign. We can't base a large expense such as a recount on such questionable numbers, and it's her duty to make sure we trust her numbers.
Such a simple mistake involving a computer should have been easy for Nickolaus, a computer specialist, to describe so we all can understand. Unfortunately, she has refused to do so, and instead she only gave us confusing bits and pieces of the story. This is not how elections should be run in Wisconsin, and I won't stand for it.
The only reason Prosser is ahead now is because of the new numbers from Waukesha County, see the latest count. So, the vote counts in Waukesha County are critical, and we must know the truth. The Government Accountability Board won't certify the numbers until they finish their investigation in Waukesha County, but they won't look at the actual ballots.
Others have already asked for Nickolaus's resignation because of the error, but I was willing to give Nickolaus the chance to provide us with more clarification. Since she has refused to do so, she must resign. Wisconsin can't trust her to run part of our elections.
Tens of thousands of Wisconsinites have already signed a petition for a bipartisan investigation into the vote counts in Waukesha County started by One Wisconsin Now. I urge you to add your name to the petition here and tell your friends and family about our request for a bipartisan and impartial investigation.
I implore you to help fix the issues with the election system in Waukesha County, and Wisconsin as a whole, by demanding clarification. Here are some easy and effective ways to help get that clarification.
We must demand real solutions to problems with our election systems. Unlike pseudo-solutions such as the Voter Distraction Bill (Senate Bill 6), which requires an ID to vote and only seeks to stifle valid voters, there are solutions that would actually improve our elections.
Showing posts with label JoAnne Kloppenburg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JoAnne Kloppenburg. Show all posts
Friday, April 15, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Wisconsin Is Not Equally Divided
That's quite a blanket statement, but the recent Supreme Court election in Wisconsin didn't show that we're equally divided. Contrary to statements by Governor Scott Walker, the election is not proof of how evenly split the state is for three critical reasons: Prosser was expected to win by large margins, everyone didn't vote, and the money spent in support of Prosser far outweighs the money spent in support of Kloppenburg.
I outlined these reasons last Thursday, but the old tunes are still being sung. Let's start using facts and logic that back up our claims, please.
I outlined these reasons last Thursday, but the old tunes are still being sung. Let's start using facts and logic that back up our claims, please.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Not Evidence For Evenly Split State
Contrary to statements by Walker, the Wisconsin Supreme Court election is not proof of how evenly split the state is for three critical reasons: Prosser was expected to win by large margins, everyone didn't vote, and the money spent in support of Prosser far outweighs the money spent in support of Kloppenburg. This election became a referendum on Walker's plans when Prosser signaled he would support the governor's plans, because he has proven to be a conservative vote on the court. The movement wasn't necessarily in support of Kloppenburg as much as it was against Prosser's conservative bias on the court. If this election shows anything, it shows that there's a swell of energy against Walker's plans for Wisconsin.
Prosser is an incumbent Supreme Court Justice. Incumbent Supreme Court justices rarely lose elections, only five justices have lost a re-election in Wisconsin history. Also, Kloppenburg had little name recognition before February. In fact, Prosser received 55% of the vote in the February primary, while Kloppenburg received only 25%. That left less than two months for Kloppenburg to reach double the number of voters and grab 5% of the electorate from Prosser. A lot of energy and momentum was needed just to reach Prosser's level of support, and the margin in favor of Kloppenburg would likely have increased with more time.
Not everyone voted Tuesday. Of the over 3 million registered voters in Wisconsin, about a third voted in the Supreme Court election. Voters are motivated for various reasons, and non-voters are similarly not motivated for various reasons. So, unless a very large portion of the people of Wisconsin vote, it's difficult to say whether the results of the election truly reflect the views of the people of Wisconsin. This is why pollsters put lots of effort into properly selecting the people they survey. Even though their sample of the state is generally quite smaller than any election, the principles in polling still apply to election results. This election, whose results differ from all polling which has shown a stronger majority disapprove of Walker, most likely doesn't truly reflect the views of the people of Wisconsin.
The amount of money spent in support of Prosser far outweighed the money spent in support of Kloppenburg. According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, the groups in support of Prosser outspent the few groups in support of Kloppenburg nearly 2-1. Also, since the candidates accepted public campaign financing, the ads from the money spent by these groups were the only voice most voters heard. Based on that alone, one would think a large majority would have voted for Prosser. The fact that the election is so evenly split shows that the energy is behind the movement against Walker's plans, since there was so much to overcome.
As part of Walker's argument that the election doesn't show that a majority of Wisconsin disapprove of his plans, Walker said the election results were "largely driven by Madison, and to a lesser extent Milwaukee." He also basically said Madison is in its own world.
I don't know what Walker was thinking when he said that, but, as examples, La Crosse, Eau Claire and Ashland counties voted with strong support for Kloppenburg. Those counties are quite far from Madison and Milwaukee. Kloppenburg couldn't have won if most of the state didn't support her. Several counties surrounding Milwaukee voted for Prosser in similar proportion to the votes for Kloppenburg from Madison. So, Madison didn't control this election. Any one county in Wisconsin could have stayed home, and the results would be much different. In fact, of the counties who voted for Kloppenburg, 18 voted for Walker just a few months ago.
Kloppenburg's victory over Prosser can't be overstated, even if she nearly lost, it would have been a major feat. Such a victory has only been achieved 5 other times in over 150 years, and with very little name recognition compared to Prosser, Kloppenburg was a huge underdog. Prosser ran uncontested the last time he was elected. If Walker hadn't attacked workers' rights and other Wisconsin values, Prosser would probably have won by a landslide. Instead, Wisconsinites worked to spread the word and vote for an independent justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and won.
Updated: (April 7, 3:47pm) Corrected the number of counties that had voted for Walker and then voted for Kloppenburg from 19 to 18 and changed the link to refer to a correct article.
Updated: (April 19, 7:35pm) Changed source of spending numbers from the Brennan Center to a more recent report by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
Prosser is an incumbent Supreme Court Justice. Incumbent Supreme Court justices rarely lose elections, only five justices have lost a re-election in Wisconsin history. Also, Kloppenburg had little name recognition before February. In fact, Prosser received 55% of the vote in the February primary, while Kloppenburg received only 25%. That left less than two months for Kloppenburg to reach double the number of voters and grab 5% of the electorate from Prosser. A lot of energy and momentum was needed just to reach Prosser's level of support, and the margin in favor of Kloppenburg would likely have increased with more time.
Not everyone voted Tuesday. Of the over 3 million registered voters in Wisconsin, about a third voted in the Supreme Court election. Voters are motivated for various reasons, and non-voters are similarly not motivated for various reasons. So, unless a very large portion of the people of Wisconsin vote, it's difficult to say whether the results of the election truly reflect the views of the people of Wisconsin. This is why pollsters put lots of effort into properly selecting the people they survey. Even though their sample of the state is generally quite smaller than any election, the principles in polling still apply to election results. This election, whose results differ from all polling which has shown a stronger majority disapprove of Walker, most likely doesn't truly reflect the views of the people of Wisconsin.
The amount of money spent in support of Prosser far outweighed the money spent in support of Kloppenburg. According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, the groups in support of Prosser outspent the few groups in support of Kloppenburg nearly 2-1. Also, since the candidates accepted public campaign financing, the ads from the money spent by these groups were the only voice most voters heard. Based on that alone, one would think a large majority would have voted for Prosser. The fact that the election is so evenly split shows that the energy is behind the movement against Walker's plans, since there was so much to overcome.
As part of Walker's argument that the election doesn't show that a majority of Wisconsin disapprove of his plans, Walker said the election results were "largely driven by Madison, and to a lesser extent Milwaukee." He also basically said Madison is in its own world.
I don't know what Walker was thinking when he said that, but, as examples, La Crosse, Eau Claire and Ashland counties voted with strong support for Kloppenburg. Those counties are quite far from Madison and Milwaukee. Kloppenburg couldn't have won if most of the state didn't support her. Several counties surrounding Milwaukee voted for Prosser in similar proportion to the votes for Kloppenburg from Madison. So, Madison didn't control this election. Any one county in Wisconsin could have stayed home, and the results would be much different. In fact, of the counties who voted for Kloppenburg, 18 voted for Walker just a few months ago.
Kloppenburg's victory over Prosser can't be overstated, even if she nearly lost, it would have been a major feat. Such a victory has only been achieved 5 other times in over 150 years, and with very little name recognition compared to Prosser, Kloppenburg was a huge underdog. Prosser ran uncontested the last time he was elected. If Walker hadn't attacked workers' rights and other Wisconsin values, Prosser would probably have won by a landslide. Instead, Wisconsinites worked to spread the word and vote for an independent justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and won.
Updated: (April 7, 3:47pm) Corrected the number of counties that had voted for Walker and then voted for Kloppenburg from 19 to 18 and changed the link to refer to a correct article.
Updated: (April 19, 7:35pm) Changed source of spending numbers from the Brennan Center to a more recent report by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Kloppenburg Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court
Well, no one has officially called it, but the AP has finished their tally of the votes, and Kloppenburg has 204 more votes than Prosser. The AP and the other news organizations appear unwilling to call the election, leaving it up to the county canvass boards to determine the official count. The boards and the state have until May 15 to complete and certify the official count, though it shouldn't realistically take that long. We should have official results in a few days. Until then, JoAnne Kloppenburg is the winner, and she has declared victory.
The Prosser campaign said they're preparing for a recount.
Update: (3:15pm) According to the Journal Sentinel, the AP is verifying the numbers from every county and will have a verified and final total later today. That total most likely won't differ much if at all from the state's certified count.
The Prosser campaign said they're preparing for a recount.
Update: (3:15pm) According to the Journal Sentinel, the AP is verifying the numbers from every county and will have a verified and final total later today. That total most likely won't differ much if at all from the state's certified count.
Kloppenburg Ahead In AP Results of Wisconsin State Supreme Court Election
The AP has Kloppenburg ahead by 369 votes with only 5 precincts left to count! This puts the AP's numbers in line with mine.
The gap may shrink when all votes are counted. It looks like Milwaukee county is still missing two precincts as well as one each from Jefferson, Juneau and Taylor counties.
I'm still calling the election for Kloppenburg, but I'm no real authority on the matter.
Update: (10:07am) The lead has now grown to 447 votes, though the reported number of precincts hasn't changed.
Update: (10:14am) The AP results have changed again, though the number of precincts reporting hasn't. The Kloppenburg lead is now at 311 votes.
Update: (10:32am) No change in the number of precincts, but lead is now at 309 votes for Kloppenburg. I have to join the real world for a bit, but I'll be back at about 12:30pm with any updates.
Update: (12:38pm) All but one precinct has reported state-wide, that being in Jefferson county. Kloppenburg retains a lead of 235 votes. No one has called the election that I know of, but I'm not too sure Prosser has 235 extra votes in that one ward. CapTimes is reporting that Prosser gained only 2 votes from that ward, giving Kloppenburg the win with 233 votes.
Update: (1:17pm) One Jefferson ward still unreported, but Kloppenburg's lead has grown to 336 votes according to the AP. So, minus the 2 votes for Prosser in that ward reported by CapTimes, Kloppenburg has won by 334 votes. It's not looking good for the Prosser campaign.
Update: (1:26pm) Lake Mills, the missing Jefferson ward, has completed their count with 2 outstanding votes for Prosser. The results from the AP continue to fluctuate often. They're currently at 206 for Kloppenburg, giving her the win with 204 votes once Lake Mills is included.
Contrary to Walker's statements, this election is not proof of how divided the state is for two reasons. The first, Prosser is an incumbent, which rarely loses their seat, and Kloppenburg had very little name recognition before February. In fact, before February, Prosser was widely expected to win. The second, the amount of money spent in support of Prosser far out-weighed the money spent in support of Kloppenburg. The fact that this election is so evenly split shows just how energized the electorate is against Walker. The polls have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites don't support Walker's plans. With over 3 million registered voters in Wisconsin, this election of under 1.5 million voters included only a small section of the state and can't be extrapolated to the entire state as easily as polls may be.
Update: (2:20pm) The AP has Kloppenburg winning with 204 votes and 100% reporting. It doesn't appear as though a call has been made.
Update: (2:31pm) According to WisPolitics, the AP doesn't plan on calling the race with the unofficial results so close. They're also verifying the numbers from Fox Point.
Update: (2:50pm) The final tally from the AP has Kloppenburg winning by 204 votes. That's as official as it sounds like we'll get until possibly May.
The gap may shrink when all votes are counted. It looks like Milwaukee county is still missing two precincts as well as one each from Jefferson, Juneau and Taylor counties.
I'm still calling the election for Kloppenburg, but I'm no real authority on the matter.
Update: (10:07am) The lead has now grown to 447 votes, though the reported number of precincts hasn't changed.
Update: (10:14am) The AP results have changed again, though the number of precincts reporting hasn't. The Kloppenburg lead is now at 311 votes.
Update: (10:32am) No change in the number of precincts, but lead is now at 309 votes for Kloppenburg. I have to join the real world for a bit, but I'll be back at about 12:30pm with any updates.
Update: (12:38pm) All but one precinct has reported state-wide, that being in Jefferson county. Kloppenburg retains a lead of 235 votes. No one has called the election that I know of, but I'm not too sure Prosser has 235 extra votes in that one ward. CapTimes is reporting that Prosser gained only 2 votes from that ward, giving Kloppenburg the win with 233 votes.
Update: (1:17pm) One Jefferson ward still unreported, but Kloppenburg's lead has grown to 336 votes according to the AP. So, minus the 2 votes for Prosser in that ward reported by CapTimes, Kloppenburg has won by 334 votes. It's not looking good for the Prosser campaign.
Update: (1:26pm) Lake Mills, the missing Jefferson ward, has completed their count with 2 outstanding votes for Prosser. The results from the AP continue to fluctuate often. They're currently at 206 for Kloppenburg, giving her the win with 204 votes once Lake Mills is included.
Contrary to Walker's statements, this election is not proof of how divided the state is for two reasons. The first, Prosser is an incumbent, which rarely loses their seat, and Kloppenburg had very little name recognition before February. In fact, before February, Prosser was widely expected to win. The second, the amount of money spent in support of Prosser far out-weighed the money spent in support of Kloppenburg. The fact that this election is so evenly split shows just how energized the electorate is against Walker. The polls have consistently shown that the overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites don't support Walker's plans. With over 3 million registered voters in Wisconsin, this election of under 1.5 million voters included only a small section of the state and can't be extrapolated to the entire state as easily as polls may be.
Update: (2:20pm) The AP has Kloppenburg winning with 204 votes and 100% reporting. It doesn't appear as though a call has been made.
Update: (2:31pm) According to WisPolitics, the AP doesn't plan on calling the race with the unofficial results so close. They're also verifying the numbers from Fox Point.
Update: (2:50pm) The final tally from the AP has Kloppenburg winning by 204 votes. That's as official as it sounds like we'll get until possibly May.
Continuing Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Results - Morning Update
Updated: AP now has Kloppenburg in the lead by 140 votes, my count at 369 votes.
Well, the AP has added all of the precincts from Ashland county and most from Milwaukee county, leaving Prosser with a lead of 419 votes. They show Crawford as still not 100% reporting, but as was stated last night, all precincts from Crawford appear to be counted. Two precincts from Milwaukee, one precinct from Dane county, two from Dunn (which gives 229 votes to Kloppenburg according to their website), and 8 from Sauk county remain to be counted from Kloppenburg favoring counties. Jefferson and Talyor have been Prosser favoring counties and have 1 unreported precinct each. Also, one precinct from Juneau is now unreported, Juneau being a Kloppenburg favoring county.
So, by my count, Prosser has a lead of 190 votes, and I'll still call the election for Kloppenburg.
Well, the AP has added all of the precincts from Ashland county and most from Milwaukee county, leaving Prosser with a lead of 419 votes. They show Crawford as still not 100% reporting, but as was stated last night, all precincts from Crawford appear to be counted. Two precincts from Milwaukee, one precinct from Dane county, two from Dunn (which gives 229 votes to Kloppenburg according to their website), and 8 from Sauk county remain to be counted from Kloppenburg favoring counties. Jefferson and Talyor have been Prosser favoring counties and have 1 unreported precinct each. Also, one precinct from Juneau is now unreported, Juneau being a Kloppenburg favoring county.
So, by my count, Prosser has a lead of 190 votes, and I'll still call the election for Kloppenburg.
Update: (9:46am) AP just updated their numbers to a Kloppenburg lead of 140 votes! They still aren't including the +229 Kloppenburg votes in Dunn county. So that puts Kloppenburg ahead by 369 votes. The update appears to be from Sauk county which is now fully reporting. This leaves 2 precincts from Milwaukee county, 1 from Dane, and 1 from Juneau county, all counties favoring Kloppenburg. While only 2 precincts from Prosser favoring counties remain uncounted.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Continuing Wisconsin Supreme Court Election Results - Kloppenburg Ahead
Currently, Prosser, the incumbent who had millions in out-of-state corporate support, is amazingly behind by 3,102 votes! This, with 59% of the state and what appears to be less than 1% of Madison precincts reporting. I heard on WPR that Brown County is 100% reported. So, I would expect Kloppenburg's lead to increase when the votes from Madison are counted.
With the news stations about to end their coverage of the election results and many races still too-close-to-call, I thought I'd share a few sources for continuing election results. The Madison TV news station WKOW has an auto-updating feed of the latest results here. For Northeast Wisconsin, WBAY has a feed of the latest local results here. The WPR Ideas Network is continuing their live radio coverage, which can be heard on 90.7 FM in many Wisconsin areas and is also available online here.
Updated: WPR has ended their coverage. La Crosse's WXOW has local election results here. Eau Claire's WQOW has local election results here. Milwaukee's WTMJ has election results here, these also appear to be consistently the latest numbers for the Supreme Court race.
Updated: (11:12pm) Well, it looks like Madison's numbers have come in and made an impact. With 84% reporting, Kloppenburg is now up by nearly 34,000. This gap will be difficult for Prosser to overcome, given that it looks like the major conservative counties in Milwaukee have nearly all been counted.
Updated: (11:22pm) The gap has been closed to just over 3,000 with 90% reporting according to WTMJ's numbers. Depending upon how close this election is, this may not be over tonight.
Update: (11:31pm) Prosser up by 399 with 93% reporting. It looks like Racine County is the only Milwaukee area left to report. The Madison precinct report percentages from WKOW appear to be incorrect, still saying 0%. So it's difficult to tell if Madison is fully reported. This is definitely turning out to be very close.
The Citizens United referendums in both Madison and Dane County passed overwhelmingly.
While you're waiting, watch this entertaining video of the zombie march to the Capitol this weekend posted on Democurmudgeon.
Update: (11:44pm) Prosser up by 1,915 with 97% reporting. Racine and Milwaukee County still not fully reporting according to the numbers in other local elections provided by WTMJ. Paul Soglin is the new mayor of Madison, again, according to WKOW. Chris Abele has won Scott Walker's old position by a large margin of 60-40.
Update: (11:56pm) The gap is not widening. Still 97% reporting, but now Prosser up by 1,183. It all comes down to the few precincts that haven't reported, but it doesn't look like this will be anything but very close. Milwaukee and Racine County numbers have been unchanged with 99% and 84% reporting in the respective County Executive races.
Update: (11:59pm) Large update in numbers, still 97% reporting. Prosser up by 4,671. Milwaukee County looks to be fully reporting now, but Racine County is unchanged.
Update: (12:01am) Still 97% reporting state-wide, but Prosser lead down to 2,415. Still only 84% reporting for Racine County Executive. Unfortunately, no matter who wins I don't think Wisconsin needs such a close election.
Update: (12:14am) Still 97% reporting state-wide, but Prosser lead down to 1,684. Still only 84% reporting for Racine County Executive according to WTMJ. You can view more updated results from Racine County on their website, and it looks like the missing precincts from WTMJ, e.g. Mt. Pleasant, are slightly in favor of Prosser.
Update: (12:25am) No change in the results. I found what appears to be the AP feed of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election results, which is what I believe all the news stations are using for their numbers. It also includes the number of precincts reporting by county. So we can see that Racine County is not missing from their numbers. One precinct from Dane is missing, as well as 12 from Milwaukee County.
Update: (12:39am) There's been no change in the numbers according to the AP since I last saw at 12:14am. As an example of how close this election is, of the 15 counties with missing precincts, 8 of them have been favoring Prosser and 7 have been favoring Kloppenburg.
Update: (12:52am) Prosser increased his lead to 1,906 votes with 98% reporting state-wide. I miscounted my counties before, there were actually 8 counties with missing precincts favoring each candidate. Now, there's still 8 counties who have been favoring Kloppenburg with missing precincts, while only 5 who have been favoring Prosser.
Update: (12:59am) Prosser up by 1,878 votes with 98% reporting. Only 2 counties, Taylor and Jefferson, favoring Prosser with missing precincts, but 8 counties favoring Kloppenburg. This may be the last time I report Prosser in the lead.
Update: (1:19am) Prosser's lead has diminished to just 585 votes with 99% of precincts reporting. Talyor and Jefferson still aren't fully reported. The 6 counties that have been favoring Kloppenburg and are still left to fully report are Ashland, Crawford, Dane, Dunn, Milwaukee, and Sauk. CapTimes reports Kloppenburg about to speak.
Update: (1:51am) No change in the numbers. According to WTMJ, Prosser has spoken and has said that he has "little doubt there's going to be a recount, no matter who comes out on top."
Update: (2:09am) CapTimes reports that the AP has gone to sleep. So, it's up to us to tally the votes using the various county websites. The AP totals for Crawford match the totals on their website, so they seem to be fully reported. With the rest of Dunn County's votes, Prosser has a lead of 171 votes. That leaves Jefferson and Talyor counties favoring Prosser and Ashland, Milwaukee and Sauk counties favoring Kloppenburg with votes left to tally. Jefferson and Talyor are only missing one precinct, which may be absentee ballots, which is supposedly what's missing from Milwaukee county. Ashland, Milwaukee, and Sauk counties are missing many precincts.
Update: (2:17am) According to CapTimes, we can add 185 votes for Kloppenburg from Ashland, giving Kloppenburg the lead with 14 votes.
Update: (2:26am) The 185 votes from Ashland were already in the numbers from CapTimes. To clarify, the AP is missing 229 Kloppenburg votes from the final Dunn County tally and 185 Kloppenburg votes from Ashland County, a total of 414 votes. So Prosser retains a lead of 171 votes after taking the 414 votes from his 585 vote lead. There's still 3 wards in Ashland not counted in those numbers.
Update: (2:50am) Well, it doesn't look like we'll get any more information tonight. No more of the counties with missing precincts appear to have election results on their website. With 26 precincts left to tally, only 2 from counties favoring Prosser, my guess is that Kloppenburg will be declared the winner tomorrow. I'm going to go out on a limb and call the election for Kloppenburg, though I'm no real authority on this matter.
With the news stations about to end their coverage of the election results and many races still too-close-to-call, I thought I'd share a few sources for continuing election results. The Madison TV news station WKOW has an auto-updating feed of the latest results here. For Northeast Wisconsin, WBAY has a feed of the latest local results here. The WPR Ideas Network is continuing their live radio coverage, which can be heard on 90.7 FM in many Wisconsin areas and is also available online here.
Updated: WPR has ended their coverage. La Crosse's WXOW has local election results here. Eau Claire's WQOW has local election results here. Milwaukee's WTMJ has election results here, these also appear to be consistently the latest numbers for the Supreme Court race.
Updated: (11:12pm) Well, it looks like Madison's numbers have come in and made an impact. With 84% reporting, Kloppenburg is now up by nearly 34,000. This gap will be difficult for Prosser to overcome, given that it looks like the major conservative counties in Milwaukee have nearly all been counted.
Updated: (11:22pm) The gap has been closed to just over 3,000 with 90% reporting according to WTMJ's numbers. Depending upon how close this election is, this may not be over tonight.
Update: (11:31pm) Prosser up by 399 with 93% reporting. It looks like Racine County is the only Milwaukee area left to report. The Madison precinct report percentages from WKOW appear to be incorrect, still saying 0%. So it's difficult to tell if Madison is fully reported. This is definitely turning out to be very close.
The Citizens United referendums in both Madison and Dane County passed overwhelmingly.
While you're waiting, watch this entertaining video of the zombie march to the Capitol this weekend posted on Democurmudgeon.
Update: (11:44pm) Prosser up by 1,915 with 97% reporting. Racine and Milwaukee County still not fully reporting according to the numbers in other local elections provided by WTMJ. Paul Soglin is the new mayor of Madison, again, according to WKOW. Chris Abele has won Scott Walker's old position by a large margin of 60-40.
Update: (11:56pm) The gap is not widening. Still 97% reporting, but now Prosser up by 1,183. It all comes down to the few precincts that haven't reported, but it doesn't look like this will be anything but very close. Milwaukee and Racine County numbers have been unchanged with 99% and 84% reporting in the respective County Executive races.
Update: (11:59pm) Large update in numbers, still 97% reporting. Prosser up by 4,671. Milwaukee County looks to be fully reporting now, but Racine County is unchanged.
Update: (12:01am) Still 97% reporting state-wide, but Prosser lead down to 2,415. Still only 84% reporting for Racine County Executive. Unfortunately, no matter who wins I don't think Wisconsin needs such a close election.
Update: (12:14am) Still 97% reporting state-wide, but Prosser lead down to 1,684. Still only 84% reporting for Racine County Executive according to WTMJ. You can view more updated results from Racine County on their website, and it looks like the missing precincts from WTMJ, e.g. Mt. Pleasant, are slightly in favor of Prosser.
Update: (12:25am) No change in the results. I found what appears to be the AP feed of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election results, which is what I believe all the news stations are using for their numbers. It also includes the number of precincts reporting by county. So we can see that Racine County is not missing from their numbers. One precinct from Dane is missing, as well as 12 from Milwaukee County.
Update: (12:39am) There's been no change in the numbers according to the AP since I last saw at 12:14am. As an example of how close this election is, of the 15 counties with missing precincts, 8 of them have been favoring Prosser and 7 have been favoring Kloppenburg.
Update: (12:52am) Prosser increased his lead to 1,906 votes with 98% reporting state-wide. I miscounted my counties before, there were actually 8 counties with missing precincts favoring each candidate. Now, there's still 8 counties who have been favoring Kloppenburg with missing precincts, while only 5 who have been favoring Prosser.
Update: (12:59am) Prosser up by 1,878 votes with 98% reporting. Only 2 counties, Taylor and Jefferson, favoring Prosser with missing precincts, but 8 counties favoring Kloppenburg. This may be the last time I report Prosser in the lead.
Update: (1:19am) Prosser's lead has diminished to just 585 votes with 99% of precincts reporting. Talyor and Jefferson still aren't fully reported. The 6 counties that have been favoring Kloppenburg and are still left to fully report are Ashland, Crawford, Dane, Dunn, Milwaukee, and Sauk. CapTimes reports Kloppenburg about to speak.
Update: (1:51am) No change in the numbers. According to WTMJ, Prosser has spoken and has said that he has "little doubt there's going to be a recount, no matter who comes out on top."
Update: (2:09am) CapTimes reports that the AP has gone to sleep. So, it's up to us to tally the votes using the various county websites. The AP totals for Crawford match the totals on their website, so they seem to be fully reported. With the rest of Dunn County's votes, Prosser has a lead of 171 votes. That leaves Jefferson and Talyor counties favoring Prosser and Ashland, Milwaukee and Sauk counties favoring Kloppenburg with votes left to tally. Jefferson and Talyor are only missing one precinct, which may be absentee ballots, which is supposedly what's missing from Milwaukee county. Ashland, Milwaukee, and Sauk counties are missing many precincts.
Update: (2:17am) According to CapTimes, we can add 185 votes for Kloppenburg from Ashland, giving Kloppenburg the lead with 14 votes.
Update: (2:26am) The 185 votes from Ashland were already in the numbers from CapTimes. To clarify, the AP is missing 229 Kloppenburg votes from the final Dunn County tally and 185 Kloppenburg votes from Ashland County, a total of 414 votes. So Prosser retains a lead of 171 votes after taking the 414 votes from his 585 vote lead. There's still 3 wards in Ashland not counted in those numbers.
Update: (2:50am) Well, it doesn't look like we'll get any more information tonight. No more of the counties with missing precincts appear to have election results on their website. With 26 precincts left to tally, only 2 from counties favoring Prosser, my guess is that Kloppenburg will be declared the winner tomorrow. I'm going to go out on a limb and call the election for Kloppenburg, though I'm no real authority on this matter.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
First Chance to Vote - April 5
The first chance to vote since this whole mess started at the beginning of 2011 is coming right up. I feel like it's the most important election what I may ever vote in. It's our first chance to get people in who will support the people of Wisconsin, not the corporations.
We can also send a strong message by having a huge voter turnout that the people of Wisconsin have had it and we're making changes. The majority of those polled do not support what the Walker administration is doing and we need to show that at the polls. This is the first step in throwing out polarizing Republican officials in the upcoming recall elections.
There will be local races at the city, village, and town levels. At the state level we have the Supreme Court race, at the Dane County level we have County Exec and the corporation rights referendum.
JoAnne Kloppenburg is a vote for an independent voice. The incumbent, David Prosser will function as a tool of the Walker administration if re-elected.
Joe Parisi for County Exec will provide balance to county government.
Corporate Citizenship referendum ... corporations are not people! Vote accordingly.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Can't Protest At The Capitol? You Can Help A Lot
Yesterday, my mom told me that my cousin from Oconto Falls was looking for more information about what's going on at the Capitol. She also told my mom that she wishes she could come down to the Capitol, but with work and a family with kids she just can't make it. My mom asked me to send my cousin the link to my blog (my mom's better at computers than she thinks). As I began to write my cousin an email, I realized that there's lots of ways that she can have a meaningful effect right where she lives, some of which she might not know about. I wrote everything I could think of, and sent the email. Then I thought that there might be a lot of other people wishing and asking the same things. So, if you can't make it to the Capitol in Madison but want to show your support for Wisconsin's public workers, these are some things you can do where you live that I believe can have a real impact.
(1) First and foremost, find out if you live in one of the Republican 8 senate districts, the eight Republican senators who voted against workers' rights and can be recalled now. If even three Republicans are recalled, the law may get repealed (Walker can still veto if he dares). We have less than 60 days to collect enough signatures to have a recall election for each senator. So it's important that we get as many signatures as quickly as possible. WisconsinRecall.net is the best place I've found to go for information on the recall campaigns. Make sure you sign, and get as many other people you know in your district to sign. Then, watch the news for when the recall election will be held, and vote.
(2) You can help spread the word. Look at the map here. If you think you know anyone who is in one of the red areas and supports workers' rights, tell them that their state senator may be up for recall and to sign the recall form and later vote. Facebook can be a great way to easily spread the word.
(3) There's a major election for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice on April 5th. Prosser, alleged Tea Party conservative and the current justice, was appointed by Gov. Tommy Thompson and most likely supports Walker, but now we can choose who we want to serve in his position (he ran unchallenged in 2001). His opponent, JoAnne Kloppenburg has said she's independent and will judge cases based on the facts of the law not ideology, and she most likely supports workers' rights.
A vote for Kloppenburg is a vote against Walker. Especially, since the law might be taken to the Supreme Court. Currently, the court is split in Walker's favor, but with Prosser out and Kloppenburg in, it could split the other way. If Kloppenburg wins, which may not be very likely given the massive corporate support Prosser has as we've seen with Walker, it will be a strong message that Walker is wrong. Kloppenburg can't accept donations, because she's using public financing. So you can help by volunteering, spreading the word, and voting for JoAnne Kloppenburg on April 5th.
(4) There may be other local elections on April 5th in your district with candidates who are for or against workers' rights. If you don't know how they stand, try to ask the candidate, so that all the voters know. Then vote for the candidates who support workers' rights.
(5) You may not be able to make it to the Capitol, but there are lot's of protests and events throughout the state. The best site I've found for information on events around the state is here.
(6) Tell people why unions are good. I think we as a country have forgotten the value of unions. People want to know why this whole "collective bargaining thing" matters. So it's a great time to talk about it because people are listening. If you're in a union, talk about what it means to you to be in a union, and what you get out of it, and don't forget to mention that anyone in Wisconsin can join a union. If you're a public worker, you can also talk about the value of your work, why you do what you do, and you can talk about how this law will affect you. Your story matters. Facebook is good for this, too.
Lot's of really good people are doing everything they can to help. I hope things get better, but I believe now is one of those times when action can really make a difference. The energy at the protests is unbelievable, and you see that on people's faces, hear it from people as you pass by, and are told by people who are much wiser than myself that they haven't seen Madison like this since the 60's, if even then. People from truly all walks of life show up, with no more men than women, both young and old, rich through poor, there's no better characterization than Wisconsin. We can all help each other by spreading this energy across the state, like it already appears to be.
(1) First and foremost, find out if you live in one of the Republican 8 senate districts, the eight Republican senators who voted against workers' rights and can be recalled now. If even three Republicans are recalled, the law may get repealed (Walker can still veto if he dares). We have less than 60 days to collect enough signatures to have a recall election for each senator. So it's important that we get as many signatures as quickly as possible. WisconsinRecall.net is the best place I've found to go for information on the recall campaigns. Make sure you sign, and get as many other people you know in your district to sign. Then, watch the news for when the recall election will be held, and vote.
(2) You can help spread the word. Look at the map here. If you think you know anyone who is in one of the red areas and supports workers' rights, tell them that their state senator may be up for recall and to sign the recall form and later vote. Facebook can be a great way to easily spread the word.
(3) There's a major election for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice on April 5th. Prosser, alleged Tea Party conservative and the current justice, was appointed by Gov. Tommy Thompson and most likely supports Walker, but now we can choose who we want to serve in his position (he ran unchallenged in 2001). His opponent, JoAnne Kloppenburg has said she's independent and will judge cases based on the facts of the law not ideology, and she most likely supports workers' rights.
A vote for Kloppenburg is a vote against Walker. Especially, since the law might be taken to the Supreme Court. Currently, the court is split in Walker's favor, but with Prosser out and Kloppenburg in, it could split the other way. If Kloppenburg wins, which may not be very likely given the massive corporate support Prosser has as we've seen with Walker, it will be a strong message that Walker is wrong. Kloppenburg can't accept donations, because she's using public financing. So you can help by volunteering, spreading the word, and voting for JoAnne Kloppenburg on April 5th.
(4) There may be other local elections on April 5th in your district with candidates who are for or against workers' rights. If you don't know how they stand, try to ask the candidate, so that all the voters know. Then vote for the candidates who support workers' rights.
(5) You may not be able to make it to the Capitol, but there are lot's of protests and events throughout the state. The best site I've found for information on events around the state is here.
(6) Tell people why unions are good. I think we as a country have forgotten the value of unions. People want to know why this whole "collective bargaining thing" matters. So it's a great time to talk about it because people are listening. If you're in a union, talk about what it means to you to be in a union, and what you get out of it, and don't forget to mention that anyone in Wisconsin can join a union. If you're a public worker, you can also talk about the value of your work, why you do what you do, and you can talk about how this law will affect you. Your story matters. Facebook is good for this, too.
Lot's of really good people are doing everything they can to help. I hope things get better, but I believe now is one of those times when action can really make a difference. The energy at the protests is unbelievable, and you see that on people's faces, hear it from people as you pass by, and are told by people who are much wiser than myself that they haven't seen Madison like this since the 60's, if even then. People from truly all walks of life show up, with no more men than women, both young and old, rich through poor, there's no better characterization than Wisconsin. We can all help each other by spreading this energy across the state, like it already appears to be.
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