Wisconsin Post-Election Notes

Updated - Some notes from Wisconsin's April 5 presidential primary:

Bernie Sanders' resounding victory over Hillary Clinton and virtually the entire state Democratic Party establishment shows anew Sanders' ability to bring citizens into the electoral process who are young, independent and suspicious of concentrated wealth and special interests.

Scott Walker and the Republican Party of Wisconsin's attempt to obstruct voters was successful. A legal counter-attack is pending and is expected to include new affidavits and data from last night in the federal case, One Wisconsin Institute et al v. Nichol, (Case No. 15-cv-324), expected to be heard next month in May 2106.
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U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisconsin) was caught on video explaining Wisconsin's photo voter ID law is going to help turn Wisconsin into a red state, (Benson, WTMJ, Wright and Scott, CNN).

Republicans still engage in the lie a vast number of voters impersonate other voters, although they remain unable to point to one case. The real objective of suppressing the vote remains clear: Keeping as many non-Republicans from voting as possible to keep Republicans in power.

A veteran election inspector, Al Potts of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, said partisan-inspired changes to Wisconsin election law in the last five years caused him to call it quits before the presidential primary.

“I won’t help perpetuate a fraud on voters," said Potts.

The Fitchburg Star has the story. 
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"Wisconsin’s Voter ID Law Caused Major Problems at the Polls Last Night, Students waited hours to vote and longtime voters were turned away by the state’s new photo ID law," notes Ari Berman in The Nation.

Bernie Sanders Is a Wisconsin Progressive

A March for Bernie Sanders in Waupaca, Wisconsin on
the weekend before the April 5 presidential primary election.
(Facebook)

There is one clear choice for the Democratic Party nominee for the presidency—Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The stakes have never been higher.

What we have is a life-long civil rights activist and economic justice worker, Bernie Sanders, against a corporatist whose campaign is a gargantuan funnel for special interests.

Democratic Party establishment insiders have largely fallen in line against the progressive Sanders. So what?

Bernie Sanders stands out for his decency, and his fearless work for a nation in which living in a democracy means citizens should be the decision-makers, and not the special interests dominating the Democratic and Republican Party establishments.

The Clinton camp would have voters believe her special-interests campaign would represent a strong top of the Democratic Party ticket. All polls show this to be untrue, as Sanders outperforms Clinton by significant margins as the Democratic Party nominee, (RealClearPolitics), and has for months.

Even as Wisconsin is decimated by a sociopathic governor and a gerrymandered legislature, the progressive state will never give up the fight.

For president, Bernie Sanders.

Wisconsin Early Voting Is Record-High, Reports Say

Wisconsin's pivotal status in the Repulbican and Democratic Party presidential primaries is bringing record-turnouts in early voting, (in-person, absentee voting).

In Fitchburg, Wisconsin in Dane County, 1,000-pus people had already early-voted Thursday. Fitchburg has a population of 25,000.

Milwaukee Election Commission executive director Neil Albrecht tells WTMJ radio early voter turnout is up more than 400 percent over previous presidential primaries in 2008 and 2012.

In Appleton, the line outside the city clerk's office has been steady with voters who don't want to wait until Tuesday to cast their ballot. Clerk Cami Lynch tells WBAY-TV the number of early voters is double the number in the last presidential primary, (AP, WKOW.TV).

Up north, social media posts indicate long lines at towns and villages this week suggesting high turnout.

Today is the last day of early voting in Wisconsin because of a Republican-passed law slashing early voting periods.

Knowledge of the Republican-passed photo voter ID law's first application in a presidential-level election likely also ran up the early voting as suppressing voters in urban areas and creating long lines on Election Day are expected consequences.

Wisconsin's photo voter ID law could block as many as 300,000 registered voters from casting their preference, (Mal Contends), (Frank v. Walker, (Nos.  14-2058 and 14-2059), Judge Richard Posner dissent).

"To exacerbate matters, Wisconsin has allocated no money to educate voters about the new law, as required by the legislation, and Republicans have dismantled the non-partisan Government Accountability Board in charge of supervising elections," writes Ari Berman in The Nation.