Polls are open for Wisconsin's Supreme Court race. Here's why it matters for the whole country.
Judge Chris Taylor's victory today will have national repercussions through at least 2042.
The most important election since last November is taking place in Wisconsin today: the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court. If you’re in Wisconsin, polls are open until 8pm and you can same-day register at your polling place (find it here). Go! Vote for Chris Taylor!
It has gotten almost no national attention. Compared to the last two majority-determining races, it has barely even registered in the state of Wisconsin. But this election matters. Here’s why.
Wisconsin is the most evenly divided state in the country; the last three presidential races and the last two US Senate races had margins of 1% or less. Small shifts in voting rules—a topic frequently adjudicated by the Supreme Court—have major national consequences. The court has also played a critical role in determining district lines for the state legislature and may do so vis-a-vis the US House (a case is working its way through Wisconsin courts now). Moreover, in 2020, Wisconsin’s court came within a single vote of overturning the presidential election.
In other words, for the future of democracy in Wisconsin and for the country at large, the composition of the court has far-reaching consequences.
And, of course, the court rules on issues affecting daily life for the people of the state—including on issues like reproductive freedom and worker’s rights.
The reason why this year’s election has gotten so much less attention than the previous two such races is that, this year, the majority is not at stake.
But the reason why this race has far-reaching consequences is that it will affect the majority for years to come.
If Judge Chris Taylor beats Maria Lazar, then the pro-democracy bloc on the court will grow from 4-3 to 5-2.
There are Wisconsin Supreme Court elections coming up in 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030. Of those four seats, two are currently held by conservatives and two are held by more progressive Justices. If Taylor wins, the far right won’t have any path to regaining the majority on the court before the 2028 presidential election—meaning, the race won’t be overturned in the ultimate purple state. And a Taylor victory also makes likely that MAGA won’t be able to seize the court’s majority before the post-2030 census, which will set maps for both the the state legislature and the US House all the way through 2042.
That’s why this race doesn’t just affect the year to come. It affects American democracy for the next 16 years.
Beyond the stakes for democracy, this is an election between two candidates. Chris Taylor is a brilliant judge. Before ascending to the bench, she was a pathbreaking state legislator who made national news by attending meetings of the officially-nonpartisan far-right network ALEC—and then going public about their nefarious special-interest plans. Prior to that, she was a leader at Planned Parenthood and an attorney in private practice. Small wonder, then, that she’s been endorsed by the court’s current pro-democracy majority, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, unions, Senator Tammy Baldwin, and others. On the other hand, you’ve got Maria Lazar, backed by the GOP, who, over the years, has been endorsed by people actively involved in trying to overturn the 2020 election, groups trying to block abortion and emergency contraception, and her old boss Scott Walker.
Which brings us back to today. If you’re an eligible voter in Wisconsin, cast your ballot. Whether or not you can vote, if you know anyone who can, send them a friendly reminder. And if you have any free time to volunteer, consider finding a handy spot more than 100 feet from a polling place and asking people with “I Voted” stickers to text their friends and family and urge them to vote.
And if you happen to be near Library Mall on campus this afternoon from 3-4 PM, come meet me and my doggo Pumpkin at our Pet Out The Vote event! RSVP here. Bring your dog!
Winning matters. And winning big matters even more. Because a huge Taylor landslide today can provide a jolt of energy to people across Wisconsin and the country who want to believe democracy can survive this dark era—but whose feeling of hope has been flagging in the face of Trump’s unremitting assault. A landslide today can help propel us into victories this November.
Let’s send a beacon of hope across the country—by using every precious minute today.
Ben, I agree with you. I don't live in Wisc, but a late friend of mine did. She died about decade ago, but until then I'd go out to visit her every year for a few weeks. She lived in woods a short walk from the Namekagon River, and I fell in love with the place. I haven't been back since she died, but still feel the warmth of Wisconsin and admire the spunk of the people. I gave a small donation in my friend's name, because she deeply cared about Wisconsin's future, and am keeping track of Wisconsin, because it ties me to my much-missed friend, and I guess maybe because it reminds me a lot of my home state, only without mountains. Wisconsin is kind of the link between New England (where I live now), and the Pacific NW, where I was born and grew up. If we do this right, we can make enough of the intervening states vote blue so we are all more like Canada. Nice thought, eh?
Thank you for the words of hope