I have had the privilege of directing Common Cause Wisconsin (CC/WI) since 1996 and have been fortunate to be able to endure through good times and bad over the years. Voting rights, fair state legislative and congressional voting maps, campaign finance reform, ethical state government, fair courts and holding those in power accountable to the people has been our constant and steady mission for decades and your support has kept us not only relevant, but also effective, outspoken and proactive.

It almost goes without saying that for about half of us, the results by and large of the November 5th election for the nation are very concerning and troubling. Donald Trump has consistently tried to undermine democracy both while he was President and during the last four years — denying and denigrating the completely legitimate and fairly run 2020 election and then encouraging the insurrection and violence that occurred on January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. He should have been disqualified from running for office this year but instead, he is now the President-elect. Common Cause Wisconsin will continue to stand up to any and every attempt by Trump, his incoming administration and his proxies in Wisconsin to subvert democracy and undermine the constitutional freedoms that have thus far survived since the inception of the nation in 1789 and of our state in 1848, through cataclysmic events such the Civil War, the Great Depression and now, the return of Trumpism.

But not is all doom and gloom in the nation or, particularly in Wisconsin. Thanks to the sustained and diligent work of a dedicated and increasingly large cadre of concerned people, like you, Wisconsin has fair voting maps for state legislative districts. Gov. Tony Evers, with our strong support, signed into law on February 19th new voting maps effective for the 2024 elections which essentially ended 13 years of one of the most unfair, partisan gerrymanders of state legislative maps in the nation. And on November 5th those new maps produced results that are much more in line with the truly competitive, evenly divided “purple” state that we really are. Election results with the new voting maps produced a gain of 4 Democratic seats in the State Senate, where Republicans now hold a much narrower 18 to 15 majority. In the State Assembly, Democrats gained 10 seats and the Republican majority has been reduced to 54 to 45. We worked non-stop for more than 13 years for fair voting maps and finally Wisconsin has them. Now we must fight to keep and improve them.

Voter participation turnout was high and robust around Wisconsin this year, although slightly below 2020’s record level. And the November 5th election was largely free from any problems or major “glitches.” Issues with unsecured absentee ballot tabulating machines in Milwaukee were discovered and remedied without incident and 30,000 ballots were re-tabulated with all sides in agreement about the procedure to address and fix the error.

CC/WI continued its vigilance against voter suppression and election denialism in 2024. In May we signed on to an amicus brief in a lawsuit to reverse a misguided 2022 conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court decision to ban secure ballot drop boxes which enabled voters to return absentee ballots in time to be counted and to have their voices heard. This benefits every voter in Wisconsin, and on July 5th the Court reversed the terrible 2022 decision and ballot drop boxes were restored for 2024 and beyond — a significant victory for voting rights. In the final months before November 5th hundreds of volunteers were recruited to protect voters and voting at the polls.

And now we are turning our attention and efforts to the pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court election this coming April which will determine its control and direction and the future of fair voting maps, voting rights and so much more. The eyes of the nation will yet again turn to Wisconsin for that titanic election contest and all of us must step up and engage to ensure that voters are informed and that their votes will be counted. Because so much is at stake.

All of this significant effort and good work is possible because of you. We will continue to stand up for each other and democracy in this state, with your support. Without you, we would not have a strong voice. With you we do. I am deeply grateful to you. Please do not despair. We will continue to work diligently for the survival of democracy and we will prevail. Thank you again. And Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

On Wisconsin and Forward!

Jay Heck, Executive Director, Common Cause Wisconsin