The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 10, 2025

On the ballot with Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race April 1st was a question to enshrine a voter ID requirement into the state’s constitution.  Voter ID is popular in Wisconsin and elsewhere, but comes with unintentional – or perhaps intentional, consequences.

A 2024 poll by the Pew Research Center found 82% of Americans favored government-issued ID for voting, and Wisconsin already has a voter ID law in place since 2011.  The recent ballot question asked whether voters should be required to present a valid photo ID, but deferred to state law as to the type of ID.  It passed 63% to 27%.  

At the moment, the state accepts a Wisconsin driver’s license or non-driver ID, military ID, U.S. passport, tribal ID card, student ID card, naturalization papers, or a VA health card.  But the devil, as they say, is in the details.

While Wisconsin allows some student IDs, Votebeat reports that IDs from the 50,000-student University of Wisconsin – Madison and other campuses are NOT acceptable for voting.  The state offers a free ID for voting, but requires applicants to appear in person at the DMV with citizenship, residency or other documents.  Disability activists say 11 of Wisconsin’s DMV offices are not handicapped accessible.  

We’ve linked to more on Wisconsin’s voter ID amendment  at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Pew Research Center – Bipartisan Support for Early In-Person Voting, Voter ID, Election Day National Holiday
Wisconsin Public Radio – Voter ID in Wisconsin: What to know about Wisconsin’s April 1 referendum
BallotPedia – Wisconsin Question 1, Require Voter Photo ID Amendment (April 2025)
Wisconsin Legislature – 2025 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 2
Votebeat Wisconsin – Wisconsin voters to decide whether to put photo ID requirement in constitution
Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation – Wisconsin ID card for voting purposes – petition process
Wisconsin Examiner – Wisconsin voters approve constitutional amendment to enshrine voter ID law 

Groups Taking Action:

ACLU WI, Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition, League of Women Voters WI

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

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Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VoterID #Wisconsin #WIConstitution

The post Wisconsin Voters Enshrine Voter ID in Their Constitution.  Voter ID is Popular with Voters, But Comes with Consequences appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 3, 2025

In the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race, an estimated $76 million dollars was spent – shattering a  U.S. record for judicial races.  But will it result in fairer Congressional voting districts in Wisconsin?

The Associated Press called the race for liberal Judge Susan Crawford, who has a 55 to 45% lead.  With all that money, the margin is almost identical to 2023’s race, electing liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz. 

Wisconsin Politics estimates Crawford raised over $24 million dollars, largely from the Wisconsin Democratic Party via liberal donor George Soros, wealthy Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker, and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman.  

Her opponent, former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, raised $12 million, but SuperPACs supporting him spent tens of millions more.   Elon Musk personally and through his two Super PACs spent an estimated $20 Million, and ULINE founder Richard Uihlein spent another $4 million through the Fair Courts America PAC.

Why was all this money spent?  Wisconsin’s voting districts have been some of the most gerrymandered in the country, and the election of Janet Protasiewicz resulted in the first fair state legislative maps in two decades.  Last year, the state supreme court passed on revisiting the state’s gerrymandered  Congressional maps.  The court’s 4-3 liberal majority may change that, and THAT could change control of Congress. 

We’ve linked the Open Secrets data at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Open Secrets – Wisconsin Supreme Court race breaks records and draws controversy as billionaires weigh in
Brennan Center for Justice – Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Breaks Spending Record, Fueled by Out-of-State Money
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Wisconsin 2025 spring election results: Supreme Court, DPI, voter ID referendum and Milwaukee races
USA Today – Liberal wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race; GOP holds Florida congressional seats: Recap
Axios – Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election is the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history
American Democracy Minute – After Cleaning Up Gerrymandered State Senate & Assembly Districts, the Wisconsin Supreme Court Passes on Congressional Districts

Groups Taking Action:

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Common Cause,  Public Citizen

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Wisconsin #WISupremeCourt #ElonMusk #FairMaps #SusanCrawford

The post $76 Million was Spent in the Wisconsin Supreme Court Race.   Will All That Money Translate Into Fairer Congressional Voting Districts? appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 1, 2025

With the erosion of American democracy norms coming at a head spinning pace, we have a roundup today on Donald Trump not ruling out a third term, Elon Musk’s million-dollar lottery in Wisconsin, a plea to a North Carolina Supreme Court candidate to end his litigation, and the end of universal mail-in voting in Utah.

President Donald Trump again raised the prospect of a third term as president in an interview with NBC aired March 30th, suggesting “there are methods which you could do it” and that he “wasn’t joking.”  A third term is prohibited by the 22nd amendment.

The Wisconsin AG’s appeal to stop Elon Musk from giving out two one-million dollar checks Sunday night was declined by the Wisconsin Supreme Court March 30th.   Musk used a petition to build a get-out-the-vote mailing list in support of state supreme court candidate Brad Schimel.  The election is April 1st.

March 18th, a coalition of 200 former state supreme court justices, judges, lawyers, law professors, and state bar officials asked North Carolina Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin to terminate his eligibility challenge of 65,000 voters in his November 2024 loss. 

Governor Spencer Cox signed HB 300 March 26th, ending Utah’s popular universal mail ballot system, and replacing it in 2029 with in-person voting and an opt-in, limited-term mail-in voting list.    

We have links to more on all these stories at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

NBC News – Trump won’t rule out seeking a third term in the White House, tells NBC News ‘there are methods’ for doing so
American Democracy Minute – Could Trump Run for a Third Term? The 22nd Amendment Prohibits it, But a TN Congressman Wants to Repeal It.  And There are Loopholes.
American Democracy Minute – Wisconsin AG Appeals to State Supreme Court to Block Elon Musk’s Million Dollar Lottery for WI GOP Voters – Oops – Make that ‘Spokesmen’
ABC News – Musk hands out $1M checks after efforts to block the giveaways in court are rejected
WCNC – NC jurists urge Griffin to concede amid election legal battle
Coalition of NC Judges & Lawyers –  Legal Community Open Letter to Griffin

Salt Lake City Tribune – Utah Gov. Cox signs away the state’s popular universal vote-by-mail election system, requiring opting in

Groups Taking Action:

Common Cause NC, Mormon Women for Ethical Government UT, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Protect Democracy

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #DonaldTrump #ThirdTerm #ElonMusk #VoteBuying #Wisconsin #NorthCarolina #Utah #VotebyMail

The post Updates:  Trump 3rd Term, Musk WI Lottery Not Blocked, NC Supreme Court Candidate Urged to Drop Challenge, UT Gov Signs End to Universal Mail Ballots appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 31, 2025

Shortly after our report on Elon Musk’s $100 dollar bounty for signing and referring others to a Wisconsin “activist judges” petition, he sweetened the deal Thursday, dangling a promise of a $1 million dollar lottery check, just days before the April 1st Wisconsin Supreme Court election.  

In Musk’s original social media announcement of his America PAC’s lottery, he said, “I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote.”  That’s illegal under Wisconsin law.  

So Friday, he re-posted that winners of the lottery would instead be “spokesmen” against “activist judges.”   Musk said the March 30th rally where he intended to distribute the checks was limited only to registered voters who had signed his petition. 

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed for an emergency injunction, which was rejected by a circuit court judge Friday, then by a Wisconsin appeals court Saturday, which said it couldn’t grant an injunction without hearing the merits of the case. Sunday morning, March 30th, the AG appealed to the state supreme court to stop the check distribution. 

The Democratic candidate in the race, Susan Crawford, said it was “immoral” for Musk to try to buy votes with his million-dollar giveaways, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

We have Musk’s post, links to the appeals and local reporting at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign – Millions Spent, But Only Wisconsinites Can Decide: A Deep Dive into 2025 Campaign Spending
Associated Press – Musk announces $1 million for Wisconsin voter in Supreme Court race. Opposition calls it ‘corrupt’
Wisconsin Legislature – Statute on Election Bribery
Wisconsin Politics – Appeals Court denies Kaul’s request to bar Musk, America PAC from giving $1M payments to voters
Wisconsin Court of Appeals via WI Politics  – Decision on AG’s Appeal
WI Attorney General via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Appeal to Wisconsin Supreme Court
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Crawford calls Musk’s $1 million giveaway ‘immoral,’ Schimel says he doesn’t control the billionaire

Groups Taking Action:

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Common Cause,  Public Citizen

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Votebuying #ElonMusk #AmericaPAC #BuyingElections #Corruption

The post Wisconsin AG Appeals to State Supreme Court to Block Elon Musk’s Million Dollar Lottery for WI GOP Voters – Oops – Make that ‘Spokesmen’ appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 26, 2025

An Elon Musk Super PAC is offering a $100 bounty for Wisconsin petition signers in a data collection scheme just days before a state supreme court election.  While it’s illegal under federal and state law to pay someone to register, vote, or not to vote, it’s sadly not illegal to offer a bounty for voters’ personal information.  

Axios reports that Musk has already spent $20 million dollars in the state race to support judge and former state attorney general Brad Schimel, endorsed Friday by President Donald Trump.

Similar to a $47 bounty Musk offered in the 2024 presidential campaign, his America PAC promises $100 for each referral of a qualified Wisconsin voter who then signs a petition opposing activist judges.  The referred voter must include a valid email and phone, likely to be used for get-out-the-vote efforts.

In a March 1st stump speech to supporters, candidate Schimel said, “Donald Trump doesn’t do this by himself.  There has to be a support network around him,” he said.  He noted there were 70 lawsuits filed against Trump’s actions, and QUOTE “The only way we’re going to stop that, is if the courts stop it.” 

Judge Schimel apparently has not signed the petition, which reads, “Judges should interpret laws as written, not rewrite them to fit their personal or political agendas.” 

Find a link to the petition and the Schimel’s stump speech at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.  

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Axios – Musk’s PAC offers $100 to Wisconsin voters in pitch against “activist judges”
Wisconsin Examiner – Musk PAC offers Wisconsin voters $100 for signing petition against ‘activist judges’
WISN – Trump, Musk back Brad Schimel ahead of State Supreme Court Election
America PAC – TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR AMERICA PAC’S ACTIVIST JUDGES PETITION PROGRAM FOR WISCONSIN VOTERS

America PAC – Petition in Opposition to Activist Judges

Wisconsin Examiner – Schimel tells canvassers he’ll be ‘support network’ for Trump and rehashes election conspiracies
Schimel Campaign – 2025 03 01 Brad Schimel Speaks at Turning Point USA Waukesha
Influence Watch – America PAC

Groups Taking Action:

Public Citizen, Common Cause

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ElonMusk #AmericaPAC #Bounty #Personal Data #Wisconsin

The post Elon Musk Data Collection Scheme in Support of WI Supreme Court Candidate Offers $100 Bounty to Refer Petition Signers appeared first on American Democracy Minute.