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Hey Swing Left,

What just happened in Wisconsin is truly shameful and historically undemocratic.

Here’s the backstory: my state held an election on Tuesday and, due to COVID-19, voting in-person was extremely risky. Our Democratic governor tried to loosen vote-by-mail restrictions and even delay the election, but the Wisconsin GOP and the conservative State Supreme Court stopped every attempt, forcing tens of thousands of people to risk their lives to vote, or give up the right altogether.

This photo of voters in line on Tuesday sums it up pretty well…photo cred: Patricia McKnight/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

This photo of voters in line on Tuesday sums it up pretty well.
Credit: Patricia McKnight/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The events in Wisconsin are a stark preview of what’s to come in Republican-controlled states across the nation. Georgia’s GOP State House leader openly admitted that holding vote-by-mail elections during this pandemic “will be extremely devastating to Republicans and conservatives”*. They’ll use this crisis to protect their power, even if it puts voters’ lives at risk.

And unfortunately, they may succeed in some states because they control every lever of state government. For decades, the GOP has schemed to take over state legislatures by winning down-ballot races. They used those majorities to redraw voting maps and slice up Democratic voting blocs, pass voter ID requirements to suppress the vote, and appoint conservative justices to do their bidding.

2020 is our best chance to unseat them, break their majorities, and redraw fair district maps that will stand for the next decade. If you’re able, donate to help Democrats defeat them in November—every dollar goes to candidates running to flip competitive state leg seats across the country.

Anyone who’s willing to put voters’ lives at stake doesn’t deserve a seat in government. I can’t wait to help unseat them in November.

Thanks,

Jared Launius
Wisconsin Field Director
Swing Left

PS: A big thank you to the thousands of you who made calls for the state Supreme Court election. We won’t know the results for a bit, but know that despite all the challenges in the state and across the world, you helped voters cast ballots safely and played a part in the fight for progress.

* Folley, Aris. “Georgia's GOP House Speaker Says Vote-by-Mail System Would Be 'Devastating to Republicans'.” TheHill, The Hill, 4 Apr. 2020, https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/490879-georgias-gop-house-speaker-says-vote-by-mail-system-would-be-devastating

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