Celebrating Wisconsin and Democracy

With election integrity, reproductive freedoms, representative maps, and other important issues all on the line, Wisconsin voters showed up last week in support of Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz in a huge win for democracy. The Rural Democracy Initiative participated in a team effort that led to Protasiewicz's election. The Democracy Strategy Group, cohosted by RDI and the Democracy Alliance, organized a webinar to mobilize support. The session explored the critical role of rural and small-town voters and highlighted the work from RDI grantees Progress North and Wisconsin Conservation Voters.

The Supreme Court election spotlighted the importance of rural voters in the state, who supported a pro-democracy ballot more than many people previously believed they would. For example, while major metro suburbs are traditionally considered the swing areas, Protasiewicz actually performed better in small towns and rural areas than she did in the Milwaukee suburbs (44%). Overall, rural and small towns accounted for 47% of the total electorate and 42% of Protasiewicz’s total votes. That 42% is more than Milwaukee and Dane counties combined (36%).

“The rural and small-town vote is critical to winning statewide in Wisconsin,” RDI Executive Director Sarah Jaynes said ahead of the election. RDI extends a huge thank you to all our donors who have supported our network’s efforts in Wisconsin.

The joint work in Wisconsin demonstrated the power of a disciplined, well-resourced, aligned civic infrastructure going all in together on a smart strategy. With the addition of Justice Protasiewicz, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will have a 4-3 pro-democracy majority, enabling them to finally take on gerrymandered election districts and voting rights, an outdated 1849 abortion ban, workers rights, and more.

Wisconsin has been a top focus for RDI since we started in 2019. Rural Democracy granted close to $1 million each year since 2020, including this early spring, to a diverse network of a dozen groups building a base for change in small town and rural Wisconsin. Thanks in part to the Wisconsin Rural Coalition and great work of many local groups, we're seeing a clear trend that support for pro-democracy candidates is increasing year over year. Thanks goes to Progress North, Wisconsin Citizen Action, Wisconsin Farmers Union, WISDOM, Voces de la Frontera, Wisconsin Native Vote, Wisconsin Public Education Network, GROWW, and others.