The Democratic Party of Wisconsin teamed up with canines and volunteers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison March 18 for the fourth annual “Pet Out The Vote” event to mobilize student voters ahead of the April 1 state Supreme Court election.
Dane County Circuit Judge Sarah Crawford and former Republican Attorney General and Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel are vying for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat that will decide the ideological balance of the court. Crawford hopes to maintain the court’s narrow liberal majority, while Schimel’s victory would flip it in favor of conservatives.
Party chair Ben Wikler is targeting the student vote, which proved critical in 2023 when Janet Protasiewicz flipped the Supreme Court to a liberal majority.
To incentivize students, WisDems launched “Canines for Crawford.”
“Student votes can tip the balance in Wisconsin elections — over and over they’ve made the difference statewide,” Wikler said at the event. “This race will determine whether we have a court dedicated to the rule of law, freedom and democracy or someone like Brad Schimel who wants to re-gerrymander the Wisconsin state Legislature.”
Wikler hopes dogs will be a bridge to hesitant students, offering a sense of home and a reminder to vote.
“So many students have beloved dogs at home they can’t bring to campus, so getting a chance to pet a canine companion and a friendly reminder to cast a ballot is the perfect way to spend the first day of early voting,” Wikler said.
College Dems Vice Chair Sadie Rosenthal said educating students on why this election matters is critical, especially since abortion remains one of the main issues on the ballot.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022 triggered an 1849 law banning abortion in Wisconsin to go into effect. In 2023, Dane County Judge Diane Schlipper ruled the 19th-century law bans feticide, not elective abortion, leaving the liberal-controlled court to soon hear a case on whether the ban is law and if the Wisconsin Constitution protects the right to abortion.
“As young women on campus, the 1849 abortion ban is super important for us to be educating other students about,” Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal also emphasized the importance of a fair democracy, noting the millions of dollars an Elon Musk-backed political action committee has spent in support of Schimel’s campaign.
“Elon Musk has poured $11 million into Brad Schimel’s campaign ads – [and] I consider that election interference from the government,” Rosenthal said.“[I want to] make sure this election is fair, pro democracy, and that our voices are fairly represented.”
Out-of-state students tend to be less knowledgeable about local elections. Community outreach events like ‘Pet Out The Vote’ aim to fill in the gap in knowledge.
“Community outreach events like this creates awareness for elections and then compels students to get more information and get involved, [reminding] them that their voice matters,” Kentucky native student Elia Saltzman said.
Joseph Wendtland, College Dems second vice chair, urged students to look into the election on their own to better understand what issues are at stake.
“Look up the candidates, and you’ll see who’s fighting for Wisconsin, who’s fighting for justice and law, and who’s fighting for themselves in partisan politics,” Wendtland said.
Early in-person voting in Wisconsin started on Tuesday. On-campus polling locations at Memorial Union and the Health Sciences Learning Center are open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and at Union South from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 28.
