On a bright fall morning in the basement of the AFSCME building on West St. Paul Avenue, a dozen people sat around long, brown tables topped with flyers and pamphlets, waiting to hear who would be crowned ‘Canvasser of the Week.’ These are the faces of BLOC, Black Leaders Organizing for Communities, an organization dedicated […]
Passion for Justice, Safety Energizes Milwaukee Jewish Vote After Pittsburgh Massacre
Rabbi Joel Alter instructed the nearly three hundred people in the audience to join hands at the community gathering Monday at Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid, in Glendale. They reached out to those around them, remembering the eleven people killed in the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue Saturday in Pittsburgh. “I wish […]
Days Away from the Vote, What Students Are Saying
“I’m voting for people who can’t necessarily vote – younger people, undocumented people, people who just can’t get to the polls. I am Muslim, so that kind of racism really personally affects me.” – Najwan Hammad, UW-Milwaukee sophomore
Gubernatorial Debate on UWM Campus Exposes Wisconsin Divide
A crowd marches around the Helene Zelazo Center with a giant puppet resembling Governor Scott Walker held above them, complete with a bald spot. Their chants can be heard around the block. “Hey hey! Ho ho! Scott Walker has got to go!” Across the street, a quieter crowd of Walker supporters displays their signs to passing cars. These groups from opposite […]
Finally, Her Turn to Vote
Last spring, a single event brought together millions, coast to coast. Organized by a group too young to vote, the March for Our Lives was a political moment in the wake of a national tragedy that sparked a wave of young people to enter the national political spotlight. At Milwaukee’s march, Destiny DeVooght spoke in […]
Blue Voters in Paul Ryan’s Hometown Get Fired Up For Midterm Elections
Lauren Keene talks with left-leaning voters in Wisconsin’s First Congressional District about choosing a successor to Ryan, who’s stepping down as Republican House Speaker. Photos: Lauren Keene
Milwaukee Youth Hope to Change Reputation for Low Turnout
The last midterm election saw record low voter turnout across the United States. Turnout in 2014 was the lowest it’s been since 1942, with not even half of the nation’s registered voters going to the polls, according to the United States Election Project run by University of Florida political scientist Michael McDonald. This time, organizations […]
One Porch, One Neighborhood in 53206
The evening sun was shining, and the weather was perfect for a drink on the porch; it would be one of the last nice days to lounge outside. Cedric Jennings, 65, sat on the steps at his brother’s house, hanging out with family. Jennings said he was going to vote as he always does, because […]
Walker’s Stand on National Anthem Protests – Does It Matter?
Former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was born in Milwaukee, sparked controversy in 2016 when he took a stand on racial injustices by kneeling during the national anthem. Although Kaepernick is now without a job, his actions continue to divide the country, as seen in the most recent twitter exchange between Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and […]
‘The Future is Voting’ Tour Registers Young Voters
When students arrived to The Future is Voting Tour, they weren’t greeted by the usual beer-soaked bar counters or merch tables with posters, records, and t-shirts. Instead, fellow students and members of community organizations welcomed them with clipboards and pens in hand, inviting them to register to vote. This is the landscape when performers partner […]
UWM Student Organizers Mobilize Before the Midterms
Promotion for voting in the upcoming election has spread all over the UW-Milwaukee campus since early voting opened in October. Posters, pamphlets and billboards are plastered all over the Union with the urgent message to register to vote. The main targets are young voters who are turning 18 and learning about how the election system […]
The Wauwatosa Walker Divide
Wauwatosa, Wis., hometown of Governor Scott Walker, has been blue, red and purple. Voter trends have seen a shift in recent years and that is sure to impact the November 6 election. “Many people in this town are tired of the constant mistakes from Walker,” said Sandy Zellmer, acting chair of the Democratic Party of […]
Wisconsin’s Amish Vote
With the midterm elections fast approaching, politicians and celebrities are using social media and television ads to urge people to get registered before November 6. But there is a large population of Wisconsin residents who have the potential to alter the outcome of the midterm elections — and they haven’t seen any ads. According to […]
Union Teachers Say Election is About Public Schools
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker calls himself “the education governor” in the race against Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, but Milwaukee teachers and union members disagree, saying that Walker’s goal for education is to privatize it and make it a commodity. “Eight years under Scott Walker, students have been starved of basic education,” Milwaukee […]