Special Sample of Weekday Newsletter
Normally this post contains only links to a half dozen or so articles from across the state that we believe will balance your need to know with the realities of your busy day.
However, today’s Key Reads contain the contents of full newsletter that subscribers receive every weekday morning by 6am. As we do regularly here on the website, we value both your desire to stay informed and your time. We are concise. Yet the newsletter will also usually contain a bonus article or two as well as some analysis.
Click here to get the newsletter sent directly to your inbox every Monday through Friday.
Happy victory Monday to all Packers fans. To the non-fans who are subscribers, we hope you’re set for a good day as well, and there’s always plenty of room on the green and gold bandwagon.
This new week brings many questions as we head into the final sprint toward Election Day…let’s examine a few.
Is the surge in early voting wholly the result of a renewed push by Republicans to bank their votes? Moreover, is this a sign that lower-propensity voters are motivated, or will these early votes just cannibalize the November 5th numbers so the overall turnout ends up similar to 2020?
We will not know the answers to these questions until the votes our counted on Election Day (or in the wee hours of the day after). However, renown Wisconsin election data guru Joe Handrick provided us some interesting nuggets…
Joe Handrick analyzes early vote data | Dairyland Sentinel
In addition to the analysis linked, above, Handrick sent us more details (based on early vote through Saturday). That analysis will be posted on the main site soon, but here are Joe Handrick’s top 3 trends so far:
* The WOW (Waukesha/Ozaukee/Washington Counties’) share of the statewide early vote is up, the Dane/Milwaukee Counties’ share of the early vote is down.
* As they have in the past, larger counties (of all political stripes) are leading in terms of the share of the total expected vote that has already been cast, but rural areas and suburbs are generally seeing larger percentage increases in in-person early voting over 2020 than are the cities.
* When in-person and mail ballots are combined, cities are generally seeing a larger decrease compared to 2020 than are rural areas and suburbs.
Joe knows his stuff. We’ll be talking to him often in the days leading up to and immediately following the election. He is a great source for insight and answers.
However, we may never get an answer as to why the Wisconsin Elections Commission was completely unprepared for the surge, which even they admit.
“We knew this was a high-interest election, and so far, the absentee numbers are certainly demonstrating that,” WEC Administrator Megan Wolfe said Friday.. “Election officials across the state deserve enormous credit for their efficient and careful handling of the incredible rush of voters they have worked with his week.”
They also deserved better from election administrators in Madison.
The glitch is fixed now. They swear.
Absentee labels are now printing normally | Wisconsin Elections Commission
The members of the Green Bay City Council appeared to have made the mistake of trusting the city’s mayor over the Green Bay Packers. The team finally went public with their latest lease proposal. Look for this issue to be resolved in short order or for Council members to publicly distance themselves from the stunt-prone mayor.
Packers, City continue to dance around Lambeau lease extension | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Meanwhile, the Packers keep piling up the wins on the field. So while it may have been a little too close for comfort any road win is significant in the NFL.
Game recap: 5 takeaways from Packers’ last-second victory over Jaguars | Packers.com
As we mentioned above, Republicans in recent years did not emphasize early voting to the extent their Democratic counterparts had, and it hurt them. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin has notched significant wins, especially in statewide elections here over the last decade. If they prove successful again next week, observers may point to their efforts in relational organizing. What is that? This Green Bay television news segment explains:
Brown County Democrats unveil new ‘relational organizing’ program | WBAY
There has been more political news than is our norm here at Dairyland Sentinel. But it’s what the calendar dictates.
Wisconsin will continue to be in the spotlight as the presidential campaign comes to a close. Both candidates and several of their surrogates are expected in the state in the coming days. Today, Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, will be campaigning in Waukesha and Manitowoc. Meanwhile, JD Vance, his Republican counterpart, will be rallying support in Racine and Wausau.
Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris will try to energize voters at UW-Madison with a “Get Out the Vote” event, highlighted by performances from Gracie Abrams and Mumford & Sons.
Also on Wednesday, Packers’ legend Brett Favre will join former President Donald Trump for a rally in Green Bay.
Trump is also set to give a speech at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Friday.
Wisconsin’s ten electoral votes could prove pivotal. If not for the Electoral College, major party candidates would ignore states like ours. So, while the cluttered mailboxes and airwaves and internet streams can be incredibly annoying, we appreciate the elevated role Wisconsinites play.
We also appreciate our loyal readers. Thank you, and we’ll be back again with more Key Reads for you tomorrow.
