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Early voting for the 2018 Midterm Election has started!
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 We don't need to tell you how important the upcoming election is, but did you know that only 20% (!) of millennials made it to the polls in 2014?
Americans have a history of not showing up to vote, especially in midterm elections. This needs to change now.
Your vote matters.
Here in Dane County, we'll be voting for a slew of statewide and local races. But don't let the volume of races intimidate you: we've got you covered.
We've chosen to endorse candidates, but we always encourage you to dig into the issues and vote for whomever you think is best. #ThatIsWhatDemocracyLooksLike
There may be races and issues on your ballot that aren't listed below. These are merely the races that all Madisonians and Dane County residents will vote on. Find your polling place and preview your ballot here.
If you aren't already registered to vote, you can do so online before Oct. 17th. Otherwise, register and vote in-person at the polls on Nov. 6th. And here's a quick refresher on what you need to bring with you to vote.
xoxo,
Team 19 Crew
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FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS FORGET TO VOTE.
Forward this guide to anyone you think might find it useful!
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WHEN
The 2018 Midterm Election is Tuesday, November 6th; early voting is ongoing (see details for Madison here).
WHERE
Find your polling place HERE
WHAT RACES
U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor (bye-bye Scott Walker!), Attorney General, Secretary Of State, and State Treasurer
ENDORSEMENTS AT-A-GLANCE
RACES*
*not including races where our preferred candidate is unopposed
- Governer/Lieutenant Governor: Tony Evers / Mandela Barnes (Democratic)
- Attorney General: Josh Kaul (Democratic)
- Secretary Of State: Doug La Follette (Democratic)
- State Treasurer: Sarah Godlewski (Democratic)
- United States Senator: Tammy Baldwin (Democratic)
REFERENDUMS
- Dane County Referendum - Question I
Should the state legislature protect residential property taxpayers by preventing commercial and manufacturing property owners from using tax loopholes to shift the tax burden to homeowners? - YES
- Dane County Referendum - Question II
Should marijuana be legalized, taxed and regulated in the same manner as alcohol for adults 21 years of age or older? - YES
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These are the candidates in contested races that we feel best embody Team 19's values, but as always, we encourage you to do your research and vote for whom you think is best.
Here's a great guide to ALL the races from the Dane County League of Women Voters' website.
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GOVENER / LIEUTENANT GOVERNER
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We'll be honest - we're not, like, excited about Tony Evers. (He came in third or fourth in our Team 19 endorsement poll ahead of the primary.)
That being said, to paraphrase the Rolling Stones, "you can't always get what you want, but you might get what you need." And we NEED Scott Walker and Rebecca Kleefisch out of office. Plain and simple.
And really, you can choose far worse than a lifelong educator and proponent of public schools, especially with Betsy DeVos as our nation's Secretary of Education.
As for lieutenant governor candidate Mandela Barnes? WE ARE ALL ABOUT THAT LIFE.
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Our current attorney general, Brad Schimel, dragged his feet on testing our state's giant backlog of untested rape kits, and still has yet to initiate substantial prosecutions. He also has a very spotty record on abortion rights, and sued the federal government over the Affordable Care Act.
Josh Kaul, the Democratic challenger, is a much better choice for Wisconsin.
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Similarly to Tony Evers, we picked a different candidate than Doug LaFollette for the primary, but his Republican challenger has, like, zero public service experience (apart from town supervisor of Menasha, Wisconsin).
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Sarah Godlewski has bachelor's degree in peace and conflict resolution (badass) and co-founded her own investment firm. She wants to reinvigorate the office.
Ryan Hartwig, on the other hand, was fired earlier this month after ignoring warnings from his bank about it being a conflict of interest. He also voted last April to eliminate the office for which he is now running, so ... yeah. Highly suspicious that he'll do, like, anything with it.
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First of all, Tammy Baldwin is amazing. Staunch progressive with a score of 94%, she's a tireless advocate for women and other oppressed groups.
Even if we didn't already love Baldwin, though, her challenger would never be our pick. Leah Vukmir wants to build a border wall with Mexico, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and end legal abortion. Fuck that.
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REFERENDUM RE: PROPERTY TAX
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We support a "YES" vote, to close the so-called "dark store" loophole:
"That loophole has been successfully used in courts nationwide by big box stores to lower their property tax assessments. They successfully argue that thriving stores should be assessed the same as vacant or "dark" stores. That's mainly because the buildings sell for so little if the big box leaves, proponents said.
Those successful arguments shift the burden of supporting local municipalities and schools away from big box stores and onto residents and other businesses." (source)
This referendum is not statewide, but will be appearing on the ballot for numerous counties and communities.
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We support a "YES" vote.
There are so many reasons why pot should be legalized. As an advisory referendum, this won't change anything from a legal standpoint, but progressive state legislators are trying to collect support for future legislation. (Similarly to the dark store loophole referendum, this is on the ballot in numerous cities and counties.)
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