Presidential Election is the primary pull to the polls

The Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, election is fast approaching. Election Day 2024 includes the U.S. Presidential Election where the Republican Party nominee and former President Donald Trump and his pick for Vice President, JD Vance [the junior U.S. Senator from Ohio, author, and U.S. Marines veteran], will face off against the Democratic Party nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris and her pick for Vice President, Tim Walz (current Minnesota Governor, former educator, and retired U.S. Army non-commissioned officer], ensuring a large number of Americans will flock to vote in the election that will make U.S. history regardless of the outcome in this polarizing election.
Lesser known candidates will also appear on the ballot, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who was running as an Independent with running mate Nicole Shanahan and withdrew from the race, but will still appear on the ballot. In addition, those still in the running include Randall Terry and his running mate Stephen E. Broden running as members of the Constitution Party, Jill Stein and her running mate Butch Ware running as members of the Green Party, Chase Oliver and his running mate Mike ter Maat running as members of the Libertarian Party, and both Claudia De La Cruz with running mate Karina Garcia and Cornel West with running mate Melina Abdullah running as Independents.
The very first U.S. President, George Washington, did not have a political party backing him, and the second U.S. President in History, John Adams, ran as a Federalist. Since that time, four Presidents ran as Democratic-Republicans - not coincidentally U.S. Presidents #3, 4, 5, and 6 - Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and John Quincy Adams. And four other Presidents ran as Whigs - U.S. Presidents #9, 10, 12, and 13 - William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Millard Fillmore, respectively.
Of note, no member of the Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, or Independent (not counting George Washington) has ever been elected as U.S. President to date.

Other federal elections

In our area, four candidates will vie for the position of Wisconsin’s U.S. Senator. Democratic Party incumbent candidate Tammy Baldwin is running against Republican Party nominee Eric Hovde, American First Party nominee Thomas Leager, and Disrupt the Corruption Party nominee Philip Anderson.
Two candidates will face off on the ballot for the position of Wisconsin District 7 Representative for the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican Party incumbent candidate Tom Tiffany will compete with Democratic Party nominee Kyle Kilbourn for the role.

Regional elections

In our area, the race for Wisconsin State Senator for District 12 has Republican Party nominee incumbent candidate Mary Felzkowski facing off against Democratic Party nominee Andi Rich for the position.
And the race for District 35 Representative to the Wisconsin State Assembly pits Republican Party nominee incumbent candidate Calvin Callahan against Democratic Party nominee Elizabeth McCrank.

Local races all uncontested

All of the local Lincoln County races - for Lincoln County Clerk, District Attorney, Register of Deeds, and Treasurer are uncontested. Only the current incumbents in each position - Lincoln County Clerk Chris Marlowe, Lincoln County District Attorney Kristopher Ellis, Lincoln County Register of Deeds Sarah Koss, and Lincoln County Treasurer Robbin Gigl are on the ballot.
Referendum: Wisconsin Citizenship Voting Requirement Amendment (2024)
The last item on area ballots is a referendum question. It reads:
Eligibility to vote. Shall section 1 of article III of the constitution, which deals with suffrage, be amended to provide that only a United States citizen age 18 or older who resides in an election district may vote in an election for national, state, or local office or at a statewide or local referendum? Vote Yes or No.
So what does that mean exactly?
Currently, section 1 of article III of the Wisconsin state constitution reads: “Every United States citizen age 18 or older who is a resident of an election district in this state is a qualified elector of that district.”
Suffrage is another word for “the right or privilege of voting.” Throughout the history of Wisconsin, this section of the 1848 Wisconsin state constitution has been amended four times. The first amendment in 1882 essentially opened voting up to allow for non-white citizens of the state who were age 21 and over to vote and clarified local election residency; the second amendment in 1908 sought to clarify the intention of foreign-born persons to become naturalized citizens, and ended the ability of foreign-born non-citizens to vote, essentially requiring voters to be citizens in order to vote; the third amendment in 1934 was to remove the word “male” from the constitution to enable women to vote; and the fourth and most recent amendment in 1986 simplified the language and pared it down to the bare bones, allowing for every U.S. citizen age 18 or older to vote if they reside in that election district. Gender and race were no longer issues, and the voting age was lowered to the age of 18, to be consistent with the other rights afforded to those reaching the age of 18 and legal adulthood in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin State Senator Julian Bradley (R-28) is in favor of this referendum and amendment and hopes voters will vote Yes to this question on the ballot. “From the debate on this issue last session I know some legislators believe this is unnecessary, but this is a simple straightforward solution to a problem that threatens our constituents most fundamental right, voting,” she said. “To those who do not believe this is an issue, I would point to the Maryland State Constitution which uses similar language to describe who can vote, ‘every citizen of the United States.’ That language did not stop College Park and 10 other municipalities in Maryland from allowing illegal immigrants to vote in local elections.”
Nick Ramos, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said he doesn’t feel the amendment is necessary and advocates for a No vote. “There are a multitude of checks and balances to ensure that noncitizens are unable to register to vote and cast a ballot and yet, voters now must choose to change our constitution once again to appease the lawmakers who refuse to look past the conspiracy theories and accept what their own experts have told them,” he said. “Adding this language to our constitution is disrespectful and unnecessary. The current language describes eligible voters, and it should remain the law of the land.”
Should the language be changed? It’s up to you, the voter. If you think the clarification is necessary, vote Yes on the referendum question. If you don’t think it’s necessary and you don’t want the constitution tweaked, vote No on the referendum question.