After more than four months of national political chaos, confusion, economic disruption and uncertainty, Wisconsinites of good will have every right to feel as if they have been battered and abused by the latest iteration of MAGA and Trumpism as it slashes and burns its way through our state, country and the world. But while these have been extremely difficult and trying times for most of us, there is also cause for hope and optimism in our mutual quest to preserve and protect our democracy and basic human decency. Why? Because we have pushed back and fought back hard against those who seek to diminish our voice and our vote. In just the past year we have helped advance the cause in support of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all of us, not just for a selected few and to the exclusion of the many as Donald Trump has sought to do. Consider, if you will that:
- CC/WI was a leading voice in the statewide education of Wisconsin voters and in the opposition to the unprecedented interference in Wisconsin's nationally significant Wisconsin Supreme Court April 1st election by the world's richest person, Elon Musk, who poured more than $30 million in support of one candidate and in attacking the other. CC/WI published a very widely read and circulated guest editorial on this matter: Commentary | Elon Musk invades Wisconsin (March 14, 2025 - Jay Heck, Wisconsin Examiner) and we were interviewed extensively in the state and national media including this segment on national CBS News: How Wisconsin's high court race became the most expensive in U.S. history. The candidate backed by Musk and by Donald Trump lost by 10 percentage points in an election that was considered the first barometer of voter sentiment about Musk and Trump's first few months back in the Presidency. It also effectively drove Musk out of national power, at least for now.
- The $100 million judicial election has ignited campaign finance and judicial reform effort in Wisconsin led by CC/WI: Commentary | Will $100M Supreme Court elections be the new normal in Wisconsin? It shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be that way.
- As a result of the fair state legislative voting maps championed by CC/Wisconsin which were enacted into law in early 2024, CC/WI took a major role in educating Wisconsin voters about the new districts and challenged state legislative candidates to pledge support for redistricting reform before the 2030 Census occurs. As a result, last November ten Wisconsin Assembly seats and four State Senate seats were "flipped" from the previous Republican super majority-gerrymandered voting maps and the composition of the new Wisconsin Legislature is now much more equal and reflective of the 50/50 divide that makes our state one of the most closely contested in the nation.
- Last Summer and Fall CC/WI filed an amicus brief in support of a successful lawsuit that overturned a state prohibition on the utilization of secure ballot drop boxes in order to provide voters casting absentee ballots with a means of returning their ballots on time to be counted instead of having to solely rely on the US Mail or having to hand deliver absentee ballots to the county election clerk's office. As a result, thousands of absentee ballots that were not counted because of the prohibition in place in 2022, were counted in 2024 and 2025, thus increasing voter participation rates in Fall and Spring elections.
- CC/WI was a leader in helping to establish clear rules for election observers which after a two-year process were adopted recently with bipartisan support by the Wisconsin Elections Commission and thus far, by the Legislature.
So, in the face of an all-out assault by Trump and MAGA to undermine us, CC/WI and many others have stood tall and have contained much of the damage being heaped upon us, but we have also advanced some democratic reforms to a better place than they have been in many years or ever. Here are some other things you can do in the weeks and months ahead to strengthen democracy and combat the forces of suppression and intolerance:
Stop the SAVE Act: Tell Senator Baldwin and Senator Johnson to REJECT the anti-voter SAVE Act. Sign here.
Join a “No Kings” Rally near you on Saturday, June 14th. There are over 43 events being planned in Wisconsin! From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to speak out – and show the world what democracy really looks like. We’re making it clear: We reject Trump’s authoritarian actions and corruption – and are coming together to build something better. Find an event near you.
Support The People’s Promise. It’s a nationwide call for a livable economy—one that works for everyday people, not just CEOs and campaign donors. Sign here.
Wisconsin’s most celebrated and effective political figure, Governor and U.S. Senator Robert M. (“Fighting Bob”) La Follette, Sr. famously and very accurately exclaimed more than a century ago: “The real cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy.” And it remains so for us today. To counter evil we must work to accomplish good and the work that we the people are doing is what will restore our democracy and faith in our state, nation and the world. Rather than despair, take action and be active and do your part to make us better. It works!
On Wisconsin. Forward!
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause Wisconsin
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152 Johnson St, Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
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