We are just a couple of days away from the April 4th election! There is a lot at stake in this election. Know your voting rights, and find out where you can vote and what’s on your ballot at myvote.wi.gov. Let us take a closer look at what is at stake, and the challenges voters have been facing this week.

Wisconsin Voters May Weaken Their Constitutional Right to Bail – Brennan Center for Justice

A couple of the statewide referendums on the ballot this year consider the right to bail. Most state constitutions have a right to pretrial release. Over the years, more and more amendments have been created to limit this right. These referendums are the same. One will change conditions from which a defendant’s release be calculated from “serious bodily harm” to “serious harm”. What is considered “serious harm” will be left to be defined by the legislature.

The next one looks at criminal history when considering setting money bail for a defendant accused of a violent crime. “Courts could impose high money bail requirements after assessing whether the defendant has a prior conviction for a violent crime or whether there is a need to protect the community or prevent witness intimidation.” (Yeargain). Considering that the current legislature is looking to expand the list of what violent crimes would be qualified for this decision, a pretrial release would be solely reliant on someone’s financial resources.

Wisconsinites know that safety and justice should be for all of us. No matter what our neighborhood looks like, or how much money is in our wallets, we all deserve the freedom to decide for ourselves what safety looks like in our communities.

State Supreme Court decisions have a big impact on Wisconsin’s environment – Wisconsin Examiner

The upcoming election on April 4th that will decide the next State Supreme Court justice will have a huge impact on Wisconsin’s environment. A lawsuit concerning Wisconsin’s authority to respond to spills of toxic substances will be put before the court sometime in the next year. The decision to uphold these Spill Laws will set the precident for how environmental or public health laws will be enforced. The current laws allow the state to hold companies accountable for spilling substances like PFAS; aka Forever Chemicals. Leaving Wisconsinites with highly negative health risks. The same line of reasoning would add more bureaucratic systems to address a toxic spill.

Only the Wisconsin Supreme Court can uphold these environmental protections. Make sure to vote on April 4th.

Wisconsin’s disabled voters face barriers amid ‘massive confusion’ – The Guardian

Last February, the Wisconsin supreme court rules that voters must turn in their own ballots. After much confusion, the court clarified that this decision did not include voters with disabilities. Unfortunately, some clerks across Wisconsin do not know this, turning away assistances bringing in ballots for voters with disabilities. Know your rights – as a disabled voter, you have the right to have someone drop off your absentee ballot.

Find out where you can bring your absentee ballot here.