Noon Wednesday: The Power of the Youth Vote
Young people are showing up in abundance right now, both for the ballot box and for protests. Maya Neal of Leaders Igniting Transformation, out of Milwaukee joins us to talk about engaging and training youth of color to become leaders and organizers for their communities and why this is significant ...
August 6, 2020
here-and-now-2020
Latest Stories
Evers Activates National Guard to Help at Polls
Similar to their mission during the April election, national guard troops will assist poll workers for the Aug. 11 election.
August 5, 2020
Speakers Cancelled for Milwaukee DNC
The Milwaukee portion of the Democratic National Convention is effectively cancelled as the Democratic National Committee pulls the remaining speakers from the already paired-down convention. The cancelled speeches include presidential candidate Joe Biden, who will receive the party’s nomination from his home state of Delaware. “We followed the science, listened ...
August 5, 2020 • Southeast Region
Wisconsin Sees High Rate of Absentee Ballot Requests
Wisconsinites have requested absentee ballots at a rate more than eight times higher than they did in August of 2016, as the state heads to the polls for an August primary. According to data released by the Wisconsin Elections Commission Monday, 821,378 voters have requested absentee ballots for the August ...
August 4, 2020
Elections Commission: Voters Exempt from Mask Mandate
Neither the governor, nor municipalities, can impose additional requirements on voters--like wearing a mask--according to the state's elections commission.
July 30, 2020
Pence Touts Freedom-Based Agenda in Ripon
Vice President Mike Pence promoted the campaign's freedom-based agenda during a campaign stop in Ripon, warning that a Biden presidency would present burdensome government regulation.
July 17, 2020
Republicans Hold State Convention in Green Bay Amid Pandemic, Ahead of Presidential Election
Speakers at the state party convention presented dire warnings for the status of the country if Trump failed to win reelection.
July 11, 2020
USPS Audit Finds Issues, Few Irregularities in April Absentee Ballots
The USPS audit sheds light onto what happened to missing tubs of absentee ballots during the April 7 election.
July 10, 2020
Appeals Court Restricts Early Voting
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wisconsin can restrict early voting, stemming from a years-long legal challenge and ahead of a pandemic-driven general election.
June 30, 2020
Trump Campaign Doubles Down on Wisconsin
Many national election observers describe Wisconsin as a tipping-point state, meaning whomever wins this state will likely win enough electoral votes to win the presidency.
June 26, 2020 • Northeast Region
2020 DNC in Milwaukee Dramatically Downsized
In light of the continued spread of COVID-19, the upcoming 2020 Democratic convention will largely be held virtually.
June 25, 2020 • Southeast Region
Elections Commission Approves Absentee Ballot Mailers
The bipartisan commission voted unanimously to send mailers to 2.7 million voters that includes information on voting absentee and in-person, and includes an absentee ballot request form.
June 17, 2020
Biden Talks Racial Justice During State Convention Appearance
Presidential candidate Joe Biden appeared virtually during a remote state Democratic Party convention Friday.
June 15, 2020
Elections Commission Reviews Draft Absentee Ballot Mailer
Commisioners asked staff to make changes to a mailer that will send an absentee ballot request form to millions of Wisconsin voters. They will give final approval on the mailer next week. The commission also voted to allocate roughly $5 million in federal funds to local elections officials to bolster security.
June 10, 2020
Conservative Group Proposes Rule to Ban ‘Ballot Harvesting’
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty says state election law is unclear on who can return absentee ballots, and wants the Wisconsin Elections Commission to rule only voters themselves can.
June 8, 2020
Elections Commission Votes to Send Absentee Ballot Requests to Millions
The motion approved by the Wisconsin Elections Commission would send ballot requests to 2.7 million voters. The commission would exclude those who have request forms already on file, or those suspected of moving without re-registering.
May 27, 2020
Biden Makes Two Virtual Stops in Wisconsin
The Democratic presidential candidate made virtual stops in La Crosse and Milwaukee, discussing plans for rural Wisconsin and criticizing the president's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
May 20, 2020 • West Central Region
Republican Tom Tiffany wins the special election to replace Sean Duffy in the state's 7th Congressional District.
May 13, 2020 • Northern Region
Map: 7th Congressional District Special Election Results
Republican Tom Tiffany beat Democrat Tricia Zunker in the race to replace Sean Duffy for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District.
May 12, 2020
Candidates Vie for Open 7th Congressional Dist. Seat
Candidates Tom Tiffany (R) and Tricia Zunker (D) vie for an open seat in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District to replace the retired Sean Duffy.
May 7, 2020 • Northern Region
Elections Commission to Investigate, Improve Absentee Ballot Issues
The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted Saturday to move forward with a barcode tracking system for absentee ballots and to investigate postal service issues that prevented ballots from getting to voters.
April 18, 2020
Map: Wisconsin Spring 2020 Election Results
Dane County Judge Jill Karofsky beat incumbent Justice Dan Kelly for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Former Vice President Joe Biden won the state's Democratic presidential primary, beating Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders who won the state four years ago.
April 14, 2020
Jill Karofsky Wins Supreme Court Election
Dane County Judge Jill Karofsky beats incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly 55%-45% in an election turned turbulent by the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 13, 2020
Postmarks Cause Absentee Ballot Confusion
The Wisconsin Elections Commission debated for hours Friday on how to interpret the U.S. Supreme Court order mandating ballots in this April's election have an April 7 postmark if received after Tuesday.
April 11, 2020
State Increases Contact Tracing After In-Person Voting
In-person voting could have exposed more Wisconsinites to COVID-19, as health officials become concerned about the disease's disproportionate impact on the state's African-American population.
April 10, 2020 • Southeast Region
Noon Wednesday: Holding an Election During a Pandemic
Wisconsin held an election yesterday in the midst of a statewide order from Gov. Tony Evers to stay at home to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Neenah Mayor Dean Kaufert was part of a group of mayors pushing to delay the April 7 elections. He joins to talk about what in-person voting looked like in his community and what he's hearing from his constituents.
April 9, 2020
Update: Wisconsin U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson are calling for an investigation into missing absentee ballots that never reached voters ahead of the April 7 elections. The Democratic and Republican senators wrote a joint letter to the USPS Inspector General to “determine the cause of these failures.”
April 8, 2020
Wisconsin Votes Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Wisconsin voters head to the polls with increased caution as the state's spring election moves forward amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 7, 2020
Fox Point Absentee Ballots Not Sent to Voters
Absentee ballots requested by voters in the Village of Fox Point went undelivered by the United States Postal Services ahead of Tuesday’s elections. The ballots were repeatedly returned to village offices despite USPS saying there was nothing wrong with them, according to Scott Botcher, manager of the Milwaukee County village. ...
April 7, 2020 • Southeast Region
Supreme Court Candidate Jill Karofsky interview
State Supreme Court candidate and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky interviewed by Senior Political Reporter Zac Schultz via Skype.
April 3, 2020
Supreme Court Candidate Daniel Kelly interview
State Supreme Court candidate and incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly interviewed by Senior Political Reporter Zac Schultz via Skype.
April 3, 2020
Breaking: Evers Calls Coronavirus Special Session
The legislation put forward by Gov. Tony Evers would make the spring election largely mail-only and push back the timeline to send absentee ballots to clerks into May.
April 3, 2020
Update: Federal Court Judge Rules on April Election
The federal judge in Madison extended the deadline to apply for absentee ballots, as well as the deadline for those ballots to be received.
April 2, 2020
Updated: Milwaukee DNC Postponed Until August
The DNC will be rescheduled to August 17 amid coronavirus concerns. Presidential candidates weighed in on the Wisconsin election, with Bernie Sanders advocating for it to be postponed, while Joe Biden advocated leaving it up to the state.
April 2, 2020
Candidates Vie for Mayoral Seat
Tom Barrett has been mayor of Milwaukee for 16 years and he's looking to make it an even two decades of running Wisconsin's largest city. “I'm very, very excited about the future of the city because, first of all, there's a lot of great things that are going on in ...
April 1, 2020 • Southeast Region
Update: Elections Commission Prepares Municipalities for Voting During COVID Outbreak
Wisconsin Elections Commission votes to clarify rules on indefinitely confined voters, and to supply municipal clerks with cleaning materials and other supplies ahead of the April 7 election. In a meeting Sunday, the commission deadlocked on chastising the Milwaukee and Dane county clerks.
March 31, 2020
Update: Evers Calls for Widespread Absentee Ballot Legislation
Gov. Tony Evers asks the Legislature to send all registered voters absentee ballots ahead of April 7 amid election concerns during the COVID-19 outbreak. Later Friday, Evers also loosen licensing requirements for certain healthcare workers.
March 27, 2020
Legislative Leaders Want April Election to Move Forward
On a call with reporters, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said municipalities should be prepared for April 7, but they are not considering altering the date at this time.
March 25, 2020
Absentee Requests Rise Amid Coronavirus Concerns
The covid-19 emergency has Republican and Democratic leaders asking for election rules to be changed. Here & Now's Zac Schultz reports on how the clerks are doing their best to make it all work.
March 19, 2020 • South Central Region
Sanders to Open Office in Wisconsin
With Bloomberg and Warren out of the presidential race, Wisconsin will have no presidential campaign presence until the Sanders campaign opens their Madison office on Tuesday.
March 6, 2020
Latest Poll Puts Sanders in a Double-Digit Lead Over Dems
The new poll results placed Bernie Sanders in a double-digit lead against democratic primary opponents in Wisconsin. The poll also showed Sanders fairing better with older voters. However, 56 percent of the respondents said they might change their minds when it comes to their presidential pick. Only 42 percent said they had their mind made up.
February 28, 2020
Political Panelists Give Forecasts of Super Tuesday
Political Analysts Bill McCoshen and Scot Ross give their predictions for who will take the South Carolina primary on Saturday and next week’s Super Tuesday. Ross predicts that Biden will prevail in South Carolina, but the analysts warn that he will need a significant lead in order to complete. The panelists discuss their forecasts for Super Tuesday and the likelihood of a brokered convention.
February 28, 2020
Appeals Court Reverses Voter Roll Purge Decision
A state appeals court overturns an Ozaukee County courts decision directing the state to purge more than 200,000 voters from the rolls.
February 28, 2020
New Poll Shows Sanders Leading in Wisconsin
A new UW-Madison poll has Sanders leading the Democratic primary race in Wisconsin with 30% and the rest of the field in the low teens.
February 24, 2020
Map: Tiffany and Zunker Win Congressional Primaries
State Sen. Tom Tiffany will face Ho-Chunk Supreme Court Justice Tricia Zunker on May 12. They defeated Jason Church and Lawrence Dale in the Republican and Democratic primaries respectively.
February 19, 2020 • Northern Region
Map: 2020 Supreme Court General Election Results
Incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly faces Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky and Marquette University Law School Professor Ed Fallone.
February 19, 2020
Kelly, Karofsky Advance to April General
Incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly will face Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky April 7. State Sen. Tom Tiffany and Ho-Chunk Supreme Court Justice Tricia Zunker both emerged from their primaries, and will face each other May 12 to fill Sean Duffy's 7th Congressional District seat.
February 19, 2020
Candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court Share Philosophy
Ahead of the Feb. 18 primary, candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court share their judicial philosophy on Here & Now. Incumbent Justice Daniel Kelly faces Marquette University Law School Professor Ed Fallone and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jill Karofsky.
February 17, 2020
Candidates Rally for Support in 7th Congressional District
A report by Here & Now Reporter Zac Schultz breaks down the primary race for the state’s 7th Congressional District. The seat was previously held by Sean Duffy. Now, four candidates are vying for the large district in Northern Wisconsin, including two Democrats and three Republicans. (Videography by Ethan Freel)
February 15, 2020 • Northern Region
Elections Commission: No Competing Ballots in April Election
The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted unanimously to send only one ballot to a majority of absentee voters in the April general election. To comply with federal law, overseas voters will still receive two ballots in April, but most absentee voters will only receive a single ballot with all races.
February 12, 2020 • Northern Region
New GOP Office Opens in ‘Heart’ of Milwaukee
In the 2020 presidential election, the Republican Party of Wisconsin wants to make inroads into the African American vote in Milwaukee. As part of its effort, the party just opened a field office in the heart of the city. “This is the first Republican Party of Wisconsin office in the ...
February 10, 2020 • Southeast Region
Political Scientist Examines Trump’s Acquittal, Iowa Caucus
UWM Professor Emeritus Mordecai Lee breaks down the Senate impeachment acquittal. Lee says that the acquittal shows that the Republican Party is now the Trump party. “No matter how they feel about President Trump behind the scenes...they are locked step with him.” Lee also discusses the results (or lack thereof) from this week’s Iowa caucuses and the path forward for presidential candidates.
February 10, 2020
Different Ballots for Upcoming Elections Cause Confusion
The Wisconsin Elections Commission is issuing and managing “A” and “B” ballots for upcoming elections. City of Superior Clerk Terri Kalan provides clarity on the difference between two separate absentee ballots being sent to voters in the 7th Congressional District.
February 10, 2020 • Northern Region
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