Announcer:
The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production. You’re watching “Here & Now” 2024 election coverage.
Frederica Freyberg:
Whether from enthusiasm to cast their ballot or eager for the election to be over, early voting saw long lines in its opening days this week.
I’m Frederica Freyberg. Tonight on “Here & Now,” an early voting push, young voters, culture wars, abortion and the latest ballot question. It’s “Here & Now” for October 25.
Announcer:
Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
Frederica Freyberg:
Tuesday was the first day for in-person early voting in Wisconsin, and the lines were out the door in clerks’ offices around the state, with nearly 100,000 votes cast. In Madison, the Harris campaign held a rally with vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and former President Barack Obama. “Here & Now” senior political reporter Zac Schultz was there.
Barack Obama:
It is great to be here in Wisconsin. It’s great to be back in the Midwest, where folks got good sense.
Zac Schultz:
Former President Barack Obama was the headliner at a rally in Madison Tuesday, but every speaker had the same message.
Ben Wikler:
You might hear people say that there’s two weeks until the election, but don’t believe it because early vote is here and this election is happening now.
Mark Pocan:
Who here plans on voting in-person early?
Tony Evers:
So let’s get to work and let’s win this damn thing. Let’s go.
Barack Obama:
And I know you’ve heard it about, I don’t know, 15 times so far today, but it’s worth repeating here in Wisconsin early voting starts today. If you haven’t voted yet, I won’t be offended if you just walk out right now. Go vote.
Zac Schultz:
Across the state, voters were already in line, ready to cast a ballot. Turnout was so high, there was a lag in the WisVote system that lets clerks print the sticker that goes on the absentee ballot envelope. The lag was fixed by early afternoon, around the time vice presidential candidate Tim Walz was telling the rally goers he wanted them to volunteer after they voted early.
Tim Walz:
Wisconsin, you got same day voter registration and it’s open today. Get there and vote. We need you door knocking. We need the calls.
Ana Wilson:
This is the second time I got to see Walz for a rally and first time for Obama, and it was just awesome. I loved it.
Zac Schultz:
We first introduced you to Ana Wilson and Landiran Kern at the Democratic National Convention. They’re College Democrats and have spent the last few months organizing student voters.
Landiran Kern:
Students around the area, especially at school, are excited.
Zac Schultz:
They took a break from classes and door knocking to attend the rally and get re-energized for the final stretch of the campaign.
Ana Wilson:
I’m sensing a lot of excitement, a lot of nerves, but I think people are really excited.
Zac Schultz:
Obama won Wisconsin twice, with the largest margins seen by a presidential candidate this century, and he knows the last couple weeks of a campaign bring many emotions.
Barack Obama:
So whether this election is making you feel excited or scared or hopeful or frustrated or anything in-between, do not sit back and hope for the best. Do not think this is a distraction or a joke. Get off your couch and do what?
Crowd:
Vote!
Zac Schultz:
Both Ana and Landiran say they plan to vote on Election Day, even as they work to get their classmates to vote early.
Landiran Kern:
I’ve been out canvassing a lot within the last couple of weeks, and most students have already sent in their absentee ballots. You know, those students who haven’t, we’re trying to get them out early voting, and you better believe if they’re not early voting, I will be at their door knocking on November 5th.
Zac Schultz:
Reporting from Madison, I’m Zac Schultz for “Here & Now.”
Frederica Freyberg:
In a tight election, every group of voters can make the difference and student voters are no different. But college students, especially those from out of state, face a few more obstacles to voting. “Here & Now” student journalist Jane McCauley reports.
Emily Treffert:
California does not need your vote. New York does not need your vote. Illinois does not need your vote. Wisconsin needs your vote.
Jane McCauley:
Emily Treffert is a junior at UW-Madison and part of the Wisco Project, a liberal group engaging students to vote. 2024 is her first time voting in a presidential election, and she’s urging out-of-state students to put their vote where it matters.
Emily Treffert:
This time, it’s much more instead of telling them that they can vote, it’s telling them that they should vote.
Jane McCauley:
Students can vote where they attend college or at their permanent address. But what is needed to vote in Wisconsin? In-state students need to register and have a valid ID.
Emily Treffert:
For out-of-state students, it’s the same registration form, but instead of doing your driver’s license number, you do the last four digits of your Social Security number, as well as a proof of residence.
Jane McCauley:
But there’s one more piece. Students who are not from Wisconsin also need a state-issued voter ID at nearly all two- and four-year campuses. Wisconsin campuses like UW-Madison have numbers that could flip razor-thin margins. In 2020, UW-Madison’s turnout rate was over 70%, or nearly 25,000 students. Donald Trump and Joe Biden won Wisconsin in 2016, and 2020, respectively, with just over 20,000 votes each time.
Emily Treffert:
We have over 40,000 undergraduate students. So if you think that if every single student were to go out and vote, the insane impact that could have.
Jay Heck:
Every vote really, really does matter.
Jane McCauley:
Jay Heck, the executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin, sees a generation that’s already voting at higher rates than previous ones, creating voting habits now that will carry on past this election season.
Jay Heck:
You know, young students, whether they’re conservative or progressive, tend to be very highly motivated. And that’s important because you generally establish your lifetime voting tendencies when you’re in school.
Jane McCauley:
But he warns of factors that could prevent students from even getting to the polls. As early voting is underway, reports of intimidating texts are addressing students saying if they vote where they are not eligible, it could result in fines or jail.
Meagan Wolfe:
Every general election, we see mailings. We see text messages from third party groups that just don’t get it right. It’s just about pointing people to the official source of information.
Jane McCauley:
And that official source of information would come from going to the Wisconsin Elections Commission website. According to its administrator, Meagan Wolfe. Heck says fear of intimidation at polling locations should not scare students away.
Jay Heck:
We worry about whether there will be people that will be standing, trying to tell people that they can’t vote. You have every right to vote.
Jane McCauley:
But it’s not just Madison. The national spotlight is on Wisconsin and all its youth.
Emily Treffert:
Yes, UW-Madison is the largest university and obviously is impactful. But I think we also need to focus on the UW schools, private schools, tech schools across the state.
Jane McCauley:
Especially as presidential campaign stops have been more frequent in smaller cities.
John Zumbrunnen:
I think that is just a really strong signal that those campaigns know that Wisconsin matters and that, you know, it’s not just Madison. It’s Milwaukee, it’s Green Bay.
Jane McCauley:
John Zumbrunnen is the vice provost of academic affairs at UW-Madison and faculty co-chair of Badgers Vote. He says up until November 5th, candidates will continue their Wisconsin campaign stops, bringing energy and attention.
John Zumbrunnen:
And those campaigns know that they need to connect with Wisconsin and encourage people to get out.
Jay Heck:
Your own voice and your own ability to be able to vote, particularly in Wisconsin and I can’t say this enough, is probably louder here than in almost any other state in the country.
Jane McCauley:
Treffert cast her ballot on October 22nd, the first day of early voting in Wisconsin. She will continue to canvass until November 5th.
Emily Treffert:
That’s why when people are like, “Oh, well, politics doesn’t really impact me.” Doesn’t impact you? You mean the future of the world, like the future of our Earth, like the planet we live on?
Jane McCauley:
For “Here & Now,” I’m Jane McCauley in Madison.
Frederica Freyberg:
Despite the number of Republican challenges to absentee ballots in 2020 and the party’s criticisms of ballot drop boxes, they too pushed hard for early voting this week.
Bryan Steil:
This is our opportunity as Republicans, as conservatives, as Trump supporters, to make sure that we’re using every legal means to get the vote out and that in particular means encouraging people to vote early in person.
Derrick Van Orden:
Do not wait until the actual voting election day polling day in case something does happen.
John Leiber:
Go and vote tomorrow. Vote the next day. The day after. You know, try to do it as early as possible.
Brian Schimming:
I would generally encourage voters to either vote in person or in person at their clerk’s office, or by mail as others have done. Look, our issue with drop boxes is because it’s so even, the regulation of drop boxes throughout the state, we don’t know where we’re going to get. We do have areas who ban drop boxes. You have others that are using them. But I always feel safer myself mailing it in or voting at my clerk’s office. But I will tell you if it’s the difference between getting a vote in or not getting a vote in, you know, I say to Republicans, put it in the mailbox or put it in the drop box.
Frederica Freyberg:
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris made an appeal to Wisconsin conservatives this week in Brookfield, alongside former Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney and former conservative radio talk show host Charlie Sykes, about how undecided voters should view this election.
Kamala Harris:
The Supreme Court essentially told the former president he will be immune from anything he does in office. So whereas before, there was at least some threat of consequence and accountability, that no longer exists.
Liz Cheney:
Although not every Republican who is casting a vote for Vice President Harris will say publicly that they are. There’s clearly, you know, a threat associated with that in some instances. But millions will.
Charlie Sykes:
It is not about politics. It’s not about left versus right. We’re talking about the culture and the impact, the coarsening of the culture, the way in which we have been taught to fear and hate one another, and how our debates have just devolved into sort of trolling one another.
Frederica Freyberg:
Trading on that fear and hate, Republican candidates have run attack ads like Eric Hovde slamming Tammy Baldwin over what he calls her radical agenda.
TV announcer:
Allowing men to compete in girls’ sports.
Frederica Freyberg:
He’s not alone. In the final days of the 2024 campaign, the Trump campaign is also laser focused on attacking Kamala Harris on transgender rights in an ad blitz and on the campaign trail.
Donald Trump:
Kamala supports states being able to take minor children and perform sex change operation. Take them away from their parents, perform sex change operation and send them back home.
Frederica Freyberg:
Of course, this is a lie. It does not happen. In an opinion piece in the Journal Sentinel this week, our next guest said, “Politicians should know better than to attack people, especially children.” Abigail Swetz is executive director of Fair Wisconsin, an advocacy organization for the LGBTQ community and she joins us now. Abigail, thanks very much for being here.
Abigail Swetz:
Thank you for the invite.
Frederica Freyberg:
So as to the idea of children going off to school and coming home with transition surgery, does that happen?
Abigail Swetz:
Absolutely not. It is a lie and I’m glad we’re calling it a lie because it is not only untrue, it is meant to deceive and frankly, divide and create distrust with our educators and our medical professionals. And I find that lie absolutely disgusting.
Frederica Freyberg:
How do these ads and statements affect people for whom you advocate?
Abigail Swetz:
So to understand the impact of the ads, I think first we have to realize that they are ethically wrong because they are dehumanizing and lies and frankly, a ridiculous distraction. And that kind of hateful language, it does have a cost. It has an emotional cost because turning people into issues and weapons does have an impact that is quite dangerous on the LGBTQ plus community and frankly, on everyone, because I think it has this impact of eroding empathy. And that is really dangerous. And as an example of this impact, actually, so I just want to say, I am a member of the LGBTQ plus community, but I’m not trans. And it is incredibly important to always center trans voices in this conversation. And it is not okay to always make trans and nonbinary people defend their own existence. And so it is incredibly important for the rest of us to also show up and support. The editorial you mentioned, I co-wrote it with a dear friend of mine who is trans. I am here because in that editorial you probably noticed my friend used their initials out of a safety concern and that is incredibly important. It sort of distills down the impact we’re talking about.
Frederica Freyberg:
So the 2024 Republican platform states they will oppose, “left wing gender insanity,” trying to make inroads with voters by focusing in on these transgender rights. What’s the play there in your mind politically?
Abigail Swetz:
It’s a really good question. I’m not sure I’m the right person to ask it to, though. I would love someone to ask them that question because they seem to think that attacking trans people is a winning issue. And I’m here to say that as voters, we cannot let that be true. We cannot let it work. They are trying to use an identity as a wedge issue to divide and confuse, and it’s just a distraction that we cannot let them take advantage of.
Frederica Freyberg:
On that, what is your message to voters who are deluged by these ads and rhetoric?
Abigail Swetz:
My message is, my message is that I think we all need to hold a few truths in our hearts when we’re seeing this kind of deluge. It’s the right word. We have to remember that these are not issues and these are not weapons. Trans people are people who deserve respect. Trans children are children who deserve love and support and trust. They are not weapons. And as LGBTQ plus people, we’ve been turned into issues against our own will by politicians who are trying to scare you to vote a certain way by using your neighbors against you because trans people and trans children are your neighbors and your friends. And we in the LGBTQ plus community care about a lot of issues: those that target us and those that don’t. Those are the ones that we should really be paying attention to. Like housing affordability and reproductive justice. Those are the issues that everyone cares about, and we’re part of everyone, too.
Frederica Freyberg:
So how important is the LGBTQ plus voting bloc?
Abigail Swetz:
Well, we’re not a monolith. I’ll definitely start with that. But we are pretty numerous. I’d say their best estimate about 250,000 voting age, LGBTQ plus people in Wisconsin. So while we definitely don’t vote as a full unit, we could really make a difference in an election in a state where we know the margin of victory is about 20,000 votes pretty often. So I think it’s important when we are going around as Fair Wisconsin talking to voters, we’re hearing those intersectional needs. People are caring about so many things that impact us, often disproportionately and we have to remember that our vote really, really matters.
Frederica Freyberg:
What kind of fears do you have that that vote could be swamped by inciting fear of harming children?
Abigail Swetz:
I fear beyond just voting when it comes to the rhetoric we’re seeing, because rhetoric just has — it has an impact and emotional cost, but it also turns into hateful policies. And those policies also have a very detrimental effect.
Frederica Freyberg:
Abigail Swetz, thanks very much.
Abigail Swetz:
Thank you.
Frederica Freyberg:
As we approach the first presidential election since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion remains a central and contentious issue for voters and candidates alike. “Here & Now” reporter Aditi Debnath examines how this topic is shaping the political landscape in our state and beyond.
Aditi Debnath:
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Wisconsin saw immediate changes. Abortion services halted due to an 1849 state law only to resume in late 2023 after a judge’s ruling. This legal whiplash has kept the issue at the forefront of political discourse.
Jenny Higgins:
Even now, there’s a lot of confusion about what is allowable and what institutions are comfortable for.
Crowd:
My choice.
Aditi Debnath:
The abortion debate is playing a crucial role in both state and national races. In Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race, the contrast between candidates is stark. Democratic incumbent Senator Tammy Baldwin has been a vocal advocate for abortion rights.
Tammy Baldwin:
I am the leader in the fight to restore Roe v. Wade through a bill that I lead called the Women’s Health Protection Act.
Aditi Debnath:
Baldwin’s bill would codify the right to abortion into federal law and ban states from passing additional restrictions to abortion access.
Eric Hovde:
I agree that early on in a woman’s pregnancy, she should have a right to choose.
Aditi Debnath:
Her Republican challenger, Eric Hovde, has a different take.
Eric Hovde:
Where I draw a very distinct line, different than Senator Baldwin, is that there comes a point where a baby can be born healthy and alive, that it’s unconscionable that you would terminate that child’s life.
Aditi Debnath:
Hovde’s position reflects a broader trend among Republican candidates grappling with the issue’s complexity: a focus on late term abortions.
Jenny Higgins:
We know that overwhelming majority of abortions take place within the first trimester.
Aditi Debnath:
Jenny Higgins, director of UW-Madison’s Collaborative for Reproductive Equity, says late term abortions are rare.
Jenny Higgins:
Abortions that happen later than the first trimester happen for excellent reasons.
Aditi Debnath:
These reasons include fetal anomalies that aren’t detectable in the first trimester and can be fatal to the fetus. In the presidential race, former President Donald Trump has gone as far to erroneously say his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, supports murdering babies.
Donald Trump:
Her vice-presidential pick says abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine. He also says execution after birth, it’s execution, no longer abortion because the baby is born is okay, and that’s not okay with me.
Aditi Debnath:
Vice President Harris, in her bid for president, recently visited Wisconsin to highlight her administration’s stance on abortion.
Kamala Harris:
What these kinds of laws mean, these kinds of laws under Trump abortion bans, it means doctors may have to wait until the patient is at death’s door before they take any action.
Aditi Debnath:
Gracie Skogman, legislative director of Wisconsin Right to Life, says Harris’s rhetoric ignores the crux of anti-abortion advocates’ philosophy.
Gracie Skogman:
So I think it’s our mission to remind people that we’re talking about two lives in the equation, both deserving of care.
Aditi Debnath:
Skogman and her team are activating voters across the state to understand that abortion law is on the ballot.
Gracie Skogman:
We have some groups that are in the Appleton area, and we want people to be aware of candidates who are running and what their record is.
Aditi Debnath:
Appleton is part of the eighth Congressional District, where the abortion issue is a key topic in the race between Democrat Kristin Lyerly an ob-gyn and abortion provider and Republican Tony Wied, a businessman endorsed by former President Trump.
Kristin Lyerly:
We need to provide national protection for abortion, contraception, IVF.
Aditi Debnath:
Meanwhile, the Republican candidate has pointed out a states’ rights approach.
Tony Wied:
The Supreme Court made the decision that the right of abortion is within the states’ hands. Where it was before, it is now, and I believe that it should continue to stay as a states’ right issue.
Aditi Debnath:
Skogman says this focus on a states’ rights approach ignores several legal levers at the federal level.
Gracie Skogman:
For example, right now, the vast majority of abortions are actually chemical abortions, and this is something that’s federally regulated. So that has to be a federal conversation.
Aditi Debnath:
She’s referring to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June to preserve access to Mifepristone, the drug used in chemical abortions. The case threatened to federally restrict access to chemical abortions, even in states where abortion is legal.
Michelle Velasquez:
It’s really important that people understand, I think, the sort of powers of the various offices at the national level.
Aditi Debnath:
Michelle Velasquez is the chief strategy officer at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
Michelle Velasquez:
A president appoints judges who are interpreting laws and hearing lawsuits.
Aditi Debnath:
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has been heading the legal battle over abortion at the state level. They filed a lawsuit in February that the Wisconsin Supreme Court accepted.
Michelle Velasquez:
That case will argue that our state Constitution would not allow an abortion ban to stand because our Constitution protects the right to bodily autonomy and agency.
Aditi Debnath:
The Supreme Court hasn’t released a schedule for the case, but abortion remains top of mind for Wisconsin voters as we approach the first presidential election since the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Reporting from Milwaukee, I’m Aditi Debnath for “Here & Now.”
Frederica Freyberg:
Those who’ve already voted early have seen yet another constitutional amendment on their ballot, the fifth this year. If you haven’t yet voted, what you’ll see is a yes or no question that deals with citizenship and voting rights “Here & Now” reporter Nathan Denzin explains the ballot question.
Nathan Denzin:
Right now, Wisconsin’s Constitution states that every U.S. citizen 18 or older can vote in an election, but an amendment on November’s ballot seeks to change that language from “every” U.S. citizen to “only a” U.S. citizen. Republican backers say the change is needed because cities in California, New York and Vermont have allowed non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections like school board races.
Dale Schmidt:
Remember that perception can, in and of itself, call into question the integrity of elections. We don’t want that.
Nathan Denzin:
Similar amendments are being voted on in seven other states, including Iowa. While Wisconsin law doesn’t explicitly bar non-citizens from voting in local elections, no local government in the state has ever allowed it. Federal law already makes it illegal for non-citizens to vote for the U.S. House, U.S. Senate and President. When voters register, they must attest to their citizenship under penalty of perjury and possible deportation. But Wisconsin law does not provide any process that systematically verifies citizenship.
Tom Tiffany:
We want to make sure that it is easy to vote, but hard to cheat.
Nathan Denzin:
Opponents say it’s a precursor to verify citizenship in future elections. That practice has been declared unconstitutional in other states, as it could disqualify the elderly or legal immigrants who lack a birth certificate. They also fear that the referendum will be used to establish the trope that migrants are voting in large numbers, despite the fact that it rarely happens. The Wisconsin Elections Commission has found just three cases of non-citizens who have been referred for prosecution for voting illegally since 2019, mostly for misunderstanding their eligibility. For “Here & Now,” I’m Nathan Denzin.
Frederica Freyberg:
For more on this and other issues facing Wisconsin, visit our website at PBSWisconsin.org and then click on the news tab. To see all of our election coverage, visit WisconsinVote.org.
Finally, tonight we are super sad to report that fellow colleague and former PBS Wisconsin journalist Art Hackett passed away last weekend after battling illness.
Art Hackett:
I’m one of those odd folks who knew what they wanted to be when they were in the fourth or fifth grade and managed to do it for over 40 years, 30 of them here in Wisconsin.
Frederica Freyberg:
Art was an institution here. Our primary political news reporter for 31 years. His award-winning work included a documentary titled “Water Rich, Water Poor, ” a program his daughter tells us was among those he was most proud of.
Art Hackett:
Since people have been asking whether Wisconsin has enough water to share, we decided to ask the question.
Frederica Freyberg:
Art was keenly smart, intrepid and hardworking. He reported for several news programs over the years, and I’m told he never missed a deadline. Art retired in 2010 and lived near family in Iowa.
Art Hackett was 74.
Art Hackett:
For “Here & Now,” I’m Art Hackett.
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Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
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