Election Day Tuesday - vote like your life depends on it

Tomorrow is election day in Wisconsin. Important elections are up throughout the state. Everyone in the state has an opportunity to vote in the primary election for State Supreme Court. the Supreme Court race is interesting as it has candidates of very different judicial attitudes. Tim Burns is running as an unabashed liberal, and essentially as a Democrat, despite this being a non-partisan race. Sauk County Circuit Judge Michale Screnock claims to be non-partisan, and that he will not create law from the bench - yet he is endorsed by the NRA, has hired GOP consultants for his campaign, and has accepted in-kind donations from the state Republican Party. He has also made a large point in his advertising of the fact that he was appointed by Governor Walker, which I can only take as a conservative dog-whistle statement. Rebecca Dallet has criticized the president, and has made a strong point of having values that are not reflected by the national Republicans. Dallet has a long history as a judge, but has been highly criticized by progressives for some of her rulings. 

In general anyone who believes that in the highly-charged partisan atmosphere of the state and the country that judicial candidates will not bring their own viewpoints to the court is fooling themself. You have a choice between a candidate who is running openly as a progressive/Democrat, one who has clear leanings in that direction, and one who is clearly of a conservative bent. Personally I believe we have had quite enough of a court that seems to always back the current conservative state government, and it would be nice to have another person on the court who would be more open to ruling against big business in the state. But it's your choice, and your vote - all I ask is that you actually get out to the polls and express your opinion.

Other primary elections are sprinkled across the state. In the Chippewa Valley most people will have an opportunity to vote for local school board candidates. These are extremely important seats and will guide the schools in your local district. Your vote matters. Don't throw it away. Some links are provided below to help you out with finding your polling place, registering on-line (yes, you can do this on-line, bring the paperwork and your documentation, and finish your registration at the polls). 

One last note - weather and roads are likely to be terrible tomorrow in some parts of the state. This may impact people getting out to vote, and may even impact the elections sites in some places. Note that there is no way to postpone an election (short of a state of emergency being issued by the Governor) so the election will be tomorrow no matter what the weather is like. So - go vote, it's important. But be careful and stay safe.