Wisconsin’s unemployment system buckled during the pandemic. State leaders are moving slowly to address a crisis years in the making.
Narrow Margin
Wisconsin’s nonvoters could be a powerful bloc — but barriers, disillusionment stand in the way
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Working digitally and on the streets of Milwaukee, activists tried to convince nonvoters to go to the polls, but distrust and disgust kept some away
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A pandemic. False fraud claims. A misplaced flash drive. How Milwaukee elections chief led high-pressure vote count.
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Facing intense scrutiny, Claire Woodall-Vogg fought against ‘racially motivated’ attempts to suppress voting in the 2020 election.
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Wisconsin GOP lawmakers call for tighter voting rules; Dems call election hearing a ‘sham’
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Republicans called for changes to election law and made broad allegations of fraud and misconduct but offered little proof.
Justice & Safety
Aggressive policing escalates violence at protests, research shows. A former Madison police chief touts a better way.
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David Couper, Madison’s police chief from 1972 to 1993, says law enforcement should ditch the riot gear and tear gas to keep the peace.
Narrow Margin
Despite a surge in absentee voting, changes to ballot processing languish in Wisconsin
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Municipal clerks have urged the Legislature to allow processing of absentee ballots before Election Day. Those cries are growing louder.
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Wisconsin GOP official bucks Trump and draws backlash: ‘There is no fraud in this election’
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Lifelong Republican Rohn Bishop believes the GOP must stop trafficking in conspiracies and falsehoods, for the good of his party — and the country
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Could lawmakers ‘mess’ with Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes? Possibly.
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Experts say pro-Trump lawmakers could try to overturn voters’ will and send an alternate set of electors, but the Democratic governor could block the effort
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Trump Wisconsin recount seeks to throw out tens of thousands of votes in Democratic strongholds
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The president’s team wants to toss 170,000 in-person absentee ballots in Dane and Milwaukee counties; experts call the effort a long shot.
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‘Checks and balances’: Inside the life cycle of a Wisconsin absentee ballot
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President Donald Trump claims widespread fraud in states including Wisconsin. Elections officials say numerous safeguards make that nearly impossible.
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Misplaced Milwaukee flash drive morphs into false charges of vote fraud
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Milwaukee’s head of elections says the flash drive with absentee vote totals was always in the custody of election authorities or the police.
Narrow Margin
‘Proud of my city’: Turnout down, but Milwaukee’s Black voters leapt hurdles to vote
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Despite smaller turnout, activists see hopeful signs of determination as voters cast ballots amid a pandemic and barriers to get-out-the-vote efforts.
Photo essays
Jubilation and outrage: How Wisconsinites reacted to news of Joe Biden’s presidential victory
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On November 7, as media organizations announced that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, were the winners of the 2020 election, Wisconsinites gathered together to both celebrate and lament the results. In Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin Watch staff captured scenes of both jubilation and solemn resolve.