Oh, There’s an Election in Wisconsin on Tuesday?

I rarely use this blog to talk about elections (yes, that's intentional). Occasionally, I'll refer to court cases, justice, and respect for authority and government. I also tend to address things that readers from anywhere can connect with. This post breaks the mold, though. I'm going to talk about an election and this is primarily for Wisconsinites.  

So, back to the title—Yes, there is! This coming Tuesday, February 21, 2023, Wisconsin has an election. In terms of the number of things on the ballot, it’s minimal—it’s one item, at least in my location. In terms of the outcome, it’s significant.

This one race is the primary election for a vacant justice seat on the state Supreme Court. In Wisconsin, the Supreme Court justices are not appointed, they are elected to a 10-year term by the citizens of Wisconsin. For Tuesday’s election, voters are asked to vote for one of four judges and the top two vote-getters will go on the ballot of the April general election. Probably unsurprising, two names on the ballot are considered conservative and two are considered liberal. I’m not assigning those terms; they have been applied consistently by various things I’ve read and watched.

Given how typical primary and general elections work, maybe you’re wondering why Tuesday’s election is significant. Usually, the top conservative (Republican) and top liberal (Democrat) vote getters from the primary face off in the general election. Remember, though, this is the Supreme Court, our state’s judiciary branch. Despite the judges’ tendencies as well as their personal political leanings and endorsements, the four judges are not divided into parties. If the two conservative-leaning nominees get the most votes in the primary, then Wisconsin voters will decide between them in April and vice versa. While it seems unlikely that only the conservatives or only the liberals will take the most votes, it's possible. Our vote on Tuesday is a significant one.

Voting in this election also matters because of the current make-up of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and things that will likely come before it. The retirement that brings up this election has the court balanced at 3-3—so, whoever wins this election tips the balance. As I’ve learned during my residence here, Wisconsin is very divided politically. The past few years have shown examples of checks and balances and power across the three branches of our government. The man or woman who sustains this week’s election and then wins come April factors in significantly.

I’m writing this as a citizen who is also a pastor. Because of that, I won’t tell you here who I’m voting for and who I hope or think you should vote for. I will highlight, though, that Wisconsin is at a point where issues like gender identity matters, the definition of marriage, and access to abortion are pressing issues that politicians and citizens are wrestling with. Because of this, the court is and likely will continue to be asked to weigh in on the application of our state’s laws. The Wisconsin Supreme Court justices and their work are very important right now!

For Christians, many of us believe the Bible speaks heavily on these things, though, we recognize not even Christians are in agreement on such matters. But we should still believe that governmental authority is established by God (Romans 13:1) and that it is best to follow God’s ways (2 Chronicles 15, 17, 20, 29-31, 34-35 to get you started). Wisconsin and the United States of America are not to be viewed in the same way that ancient Israel was, but all Christians are to live out their faith fervently under the promises and warnings of God (Revelation 2-3).

Given the divide of the state and the nation on these issues, it’s no surprise that there’s a lot of money being pushed into this race for promotion as well as typical political-attack ads. I do encourage you to do some research. Consider checking out this recording of a forum held last month with all four candidates. Yes, it’s nearly an hour and a half, but if you go to that gear symbol on the bottom of the video screen, you can increase the playback speed to get through it quicker. Listen to how the judges explain how they make decisions as well as give insight to their personal beliefs and values. It’s clear that some will uphold historic laws while others would decide to strike them down. They also know that there are going to be decisions—interpretations of the law—that likely won’t fit with the ideas held by others who they’ve been associated with. Their role is not to make laws or to please people. It’s to judge things by the law—of course, people disagree on that.

I encourage you to pray for these nominees and for this election process as well as to vote because we have that freedom and right. Whoever ends up in the general election and wins that, continue to trust God with the outcome. Pray that hearts will be changed that seek him and his ways. 

If you're interested in some more material, here's an article from the New York Times as well as iVoterGuide (click more by each judge's name to learn more about them). Wisconsin Family Action has been sending emails about this election and had an article in their latest "Capitol Connection," but I've only seen that edition in print. My go-to resource for finding out what's on my ballot is MyVote.