GOP Scores Huge Policy Victories After Wisconsin Elections

(IntegrityPress.org) – The election in Wisconsin held on Tuesday, 4/4/23, resulted in a major win for the Democrats, with the liberals taking control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. However, the conservatives managed to secure overwhelming support for 3 ballot propositions that align with the GOP’s plan on crime/welfare. When establishing bond for someone accused of a violent crime in Wisconsin, judges can now take prior convictions for violent crimes into account. The measures deal with cash bail and welfare payments. Additionally, judges can set conditions to adhere to public safety measures when someone is released before bail.

The bail measures appeared as two separate ballot questions and each received nods from nearly 1.2 million voters. The amendments were supported by the Republican party, which has been pushing for stricter bail laws across the country. However- the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin had urged voters to reject both changes, claiming that they would “make our already extremely predatory cash bail system even more punitive and harmful.”

Also, an advisory issue on the ballot asked voters if healthy individuals without children should be compelled to look for employment in order to receive welfare benefits paid for by tax dollars. Over 1.4 million voters, or 80%, responded positively, suggesting that welfare benefits should be more difficult to obtain for those who may try to exploit the system.

The Democrats had supported Janet Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee County Circuit Judge, who was elected to serve as a justice on the court. Protasiewicz’s victory over Republican-backed former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly means that left-leaning justices will control the court by a 4-3 margin for at least the next two years. The election is expected to have implications for issues such as election rules and the drawing of districts for elected office in the state ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

The Supreme Court race was also the most expensive in US history, coming at over $40 million dollars.

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