Wisconsin
Wisconsin voters to decide on banning private money to help fund elections
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin voters are set to decide next month whether to make it unconstitutional to accept private grant money to help administer state elections, one of two Republican-backed ballot measures that Democrats say are meant to make it harder to conduct elections in the presidential battleground state.
The constitutional amendments on the state’s April 2 ballot also include a change to allow only election officials designated by law to administer elections. If a majority of voters approve, the amendments would be added to the state’s constitution.
Early in-person absentee voting is scheduled to begin Tuesday and can be offered through March 31.
Since 2020, Republicans in at least 27 states have outlawed or restricted private elections grants.
The Wisconsin measures are supported by Republicans and conservative groups and opposed by an array of government watchdog and liberal groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, Common Cause Wisconsin, Wisconsin Conservation Voters and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.
Not a single Democratic lawmaker voted for the amendment, which is being split into two questions for the April ballot.
The Wisconsin measures stem from false claims made by former President Donald Trump and his supporters that widespread voter fraud tipped the 2020 presidential election in favor of President Joe Biden.
“People need to trust that elections are conducted fairly and impartially,” state Sen. Eric Wimberger, who co-authored the amendments, said in a message posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Wisconsin’s status as a swing state makes election integrity measures important locally, nationally and internationally.”
Opponents say the measures are designed to make it more difficult to run elections.
The amendments specifically address a Republican complaint about grant money that came to Wisconsin in 2020 from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a liberal group that fights for voter access and is funded by Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan.
The state’s five largest cities, all of which Biden won, received $8.8 million. They were among roughly 200 communities in Wisconsin that received around $10 million as part of $350 million given out nationally to help with the cost of running elections during the COVID-19 pandemic before vaccines were available.
Republicans who dubbed the money “Zuckerbucks” complained the bulk of the funds went to Democratic strongholds and claimed it was an attempt by the billionaire to tip the vote in favor of Democrats.
“In the interest of upholding fairness and safeguarding the integrity of our democratic process, it is essential to maintain a nonpartisan electoral system that is free from external financial influences,” Kyle Koenen, policy director for the conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, testified in support of the measure.
Zuckerberg and Chan have repeatedly said the one-time donation was meant to bolster the election infrastructure at the height of the pandemic to help people vote.
Republicans, who control the Legislature, brought the constitutional amendment in Wisconsin to circumvent Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who almost surely would have vetoed it if the measure had been a regular bill. Amendments are not subject to the governor’s approval.
Three courts and the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission rejected complaints challenging the legality of the grant money.
The other question on the ballot pertaining to who can be a poll worker was broken off from the private money question.
Wisconsin law already explains the requirements to be a poll worker: the people who work as election inspectors and tabulators, greet voters and serve in other roles. For example, any poll worker must be approved by the municipality from a list of nominees submitted by the two major parties, be a qualified voter in the county where the election is taking place, and not be a candidate or related to a candidate on the ballot.
It’s unclear how adoption of the amendment would change current practice, other than place requirements currently in state law into the constitution. That would make the requirements more difficult to change.
Opponents of the amendment worry its adoption may lead to attempts to stifle current practices enhancing voter participation.
Wisconsin voters have approved 148 out of 200 proposed constitutional amendments since the state constitution was adopted in 1848, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau. Since Evers took office, voters have ratified three.
But after the two on the April ballot, more are on the way.
In the August primary, voters will be asked to change the law to give the Legislature a say in how federal money is spent, rather than having the governor decide.
An amendment on the November ballot says only U.S. citizens who are 18 years old or older can vote in elections. The Wisconsin Constitution guarantees every U.S. citizen age 18 and over is a qualified elector. But it does not specifically say only U.S. citizens are qualified to vote in state or local elections.
Federal law already requires U.S. citizenship to vote in national elections and no state constitutions explicitly allow noncitizens to vote in state or local elections.
However, there has been a push for states to specifically make clear that only U.S. citizens can vote in state and local elections. Some cities and towns across the country have allowed noncitizens to vote in local elections.
Wisconsin
No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns: Game Thread
The Wisconsin Badgers are facing off against the Texas Longhorns in the Elite 8 on Sunday evening, looking to make their way back to the Final Four in Kansas City next week.
Wisconsin pulled off an impressive win over the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal on Friday, as it out-hit the latter in a thriller behind strong efforts from Mimi Colyer (27 kills) and Charlie Fuerbringer (61 assists).
Now, they’re facing a team that they were swept by earlier in the season, as the Longhorns thrived off Badger errors during their first matchup.
Texas has cruised through its competition so far in the NCAA Tournament, beating Florida A&M, Penn State, and Indiana en route to the Elite 8.
If Wisconsin can win, it would face the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats on Thursday in the Final Four, with the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies and No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers being the other two teams still left in the field.
Can the Badgers get a huge upset and break the Texas streak of wins on Sunday? Join us as our game thread is officially active.
Wisconsin
WI lawmakers should support data center accountability bill | Letters
Data centers proposed in our area pose multiple threats to our water, wildlife, and wallets. We all can take action by asking our senators and representatives to back SB729.
Fly over the Microsoft data center construction site in Mount Pleasant
Take a flight around the Microsoft Corp. data center campus construction site in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin as construction continues.
The data centers proposed in our area in Mount Pleasant, Port Washington, and Beaver Dam pose multiple threats to our water, wildlife, and wallets. The centers will require vast amounts of water to cool their equipment. Plus, 70% of the water consumed each year in Wisconsin goes to electric power generation, so the water needed for energy production adds to the millions of gallons these centers will need on peak days.
The massive energy infrastructure required to build and operate the data centers is expensive and threatens to burden customers for years with the huge costs. Also, at a time when the impacts of climate change make it clear that we should be transitioning to clean renewable energy sources, utility companies are using data centers as justification for building new fossil gas power plants, thereby keeping us from achieving the zero emissions future that we so desperately need.
Take action by backing Data Center Accountability Act
The Data Center Accountability Act, bill SB729, was introduced recently in the Wisconsin legislature. If passed, the bill would stipulate that:
- Data center must meet labor standards and use at least 70% renewable energy.
- All data centers must be LEED certified or the equivalent.
- Data center owners must pay an annual fee that funds renewable energy, energy efficiency, and a low-income energy assistance program.
We all can take action to prevent the worst impacts from data centers by asking our senators and representatives to vote for SB729. To find your legislators go to https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/My-Elected-Officials.
Jenny Abel, Wauwatosa
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Wisconsin
Can ‘completely different’ Wisconsin volleyball upset Texas in NCAA tournament?
Texas coach anticipates ‘fun chess match’ against Wisconsin volleyball
Texas coach Jerritt Elliott had high praise for Wisconsin and explained why the Badgers have been playing their best volleyball at this time of year.
AUSTIN, Texas – Wisconsin volleyball’s first weekend of the 2025 season featured a high-profile match against Texas.
Wisconsin’s either final or penultimate weekend of the season – depending on whether UW can advance – also features a high-profile match against Texas.
But both sides will caution against reading too much into Wisconsin’s Aug. 31 loss to Texas ahead of a rematch in the NCAA tournament regional finals as each team seeks a return to the Final Four.
“We are completely different teams than what we saw however many months ago that was,” Wisconsin middle blocker Carter Booth said.
Texas coach Jerritt Elliott said almost the exact same thing in the Longhorns’ press conference, and his players echoed similar sentiments as well.
“I feel like both teams are just a lot more developed at this point in the year,” Texas setter Ella Swindle said. “At the beginning of the season, we were kind of just figuring out who we are and who we want to be. So now at this point, I feel like we know our identities, and we’re ready to go out and battle.”
Here are three keys for the much-improved Badgers to have a better outcome against the also-much-improved Longhorns in the NCAA tournament:
How efficient can Wisconsin’s attack be against Texas’ physicality at net?
Wisconsin’s path to advancing in the Texas regional has already required defeating one team with outstanding physicality at the net, and it is unlikely to get any easier in the regional finals.
“I was watching Stanford warm up, and you’re like, ‘Jiminy Crickets,’” Sheffield said. “It’s like watching the NBA dunking contest. It’s like, ‘Holy cow.’ They’re just bouncing balls on the 10-foot line and just really dynamic and impressive. And Texas probably has it even more than that.”
Texas’ physicality was abundantly apparent in its three-set sweep over Indiana in the regional semifinals. The Longhorns had a 12-2 advantage in blocks, and Indiana committed 23 attack errors. Going back to when UW faced Texas in August, the Badgers committed a season-high 26 attack errors despite it lasting only three sets.
“But each team has their thing,” Sheffield said. “And if we try to play their game, we’re going to get whacked. And if they try to play ours, that’s going to be problems for them as well.”
Can Badgers keep Texas’ talented pin hitters in check?
The Wisconsin-Texas match will feature two of the best outside hitters in the country.
Wisconsin’s Mimi Colyer has averaged 5.38 kills per set, which is the highest among players who advanced to the NCAA regional finals and is destined to break the UW program record. Texas’ Torrey Stafford is ninth in the country with 4.78 kills per set while hitting .368.
“Both of them are fearless,” Sheffield said. “They’re extremely, extremely talented. I think volleyball fans are going to be following them for a long, long time. Both of them have tremendous careers in front of them.”
Stafford was virtually unstoppable in the Longhorns’ sweep over Indiana, recording 19 kills without any attack errors and hitting a video-game-like .679. But for as talented as the AVCA national player of the year semifinalist is, she is not the only pin that can give opponents fits.
Texas freshman Cari Spears has immediately stepped into a major role in the Longhorns’ attack as the starting right-side hitter in every match this season. In the second match of her career, she led Texas with 11 kills while committing only one attack error in the win over the Badgers.
“She was just trying to figure out how to breathe during that first match, and it just takes time,” Elliott said. “And now she actually understands our offense a lot more, she’s developed a lot of her blocking, her range has gotten better, and that applies to all of our team. Ella’s been doing the same thing. Her offensive system is completely different than it was the first week of the season.”
The Wisconsin match was the first of seven consecutive matches for Spears with at least 10 kills.
“Seeing that I can compete with one of the top teams in the nation and seeing the trust that my teammates had with me and the trust that the coaches had in me – it was a huge confidence boost for me,” Spears said.
As for how to stop Stafford, Spears and Co., Booth said it goes back to the Badgers’ fundamentals.
“I know I’m beating a dead horse, but that’s really what this is all about,” Booth said. “At the highest level, the margins are so thin that you’re not trying to reinvent the wheel again. You’re honing in on the details of what you already know to do. So it’s not necessarily about being perfect on the block. … Our focus is just going to be taking away good space for our defense and then trusting that the people around us have put in the work to be able to defend those shots.”
How do Badgers respond to adversity?
When Wisconsin defeated Stanford after an otherworldly offensive showing in the first set, Booth said it was “really an emphasis for us to always be the one throwing punches, not the ones taking them.”
The ability to punch first is far from a guarantee against a team as talented as Texas is, however. The Longhorns have only lost once this season at Gregory Gym, and that was against Kentucky, which is one of the other top seeds in the NCAA tournament.
Even in a neutral crowd situation, Wisconsin’s ability to not let Stanford’s momentum snowball was crucial in the four-set win. Now with the vast majority of the anticipated 4,500 people in attendance rooting against the Badgers in the regional finals, Wisconsin’s resiliency when Texas does pack a punch will be crucial.
“We are definitely more equipped to withstand those highs and lows of a set and able to step up after a mistake or come back after a battle,” Booth said. “You see yesterday, (we) come out very dominant in the first set, and then we dropped the second in a fashion that was a little bit uncharacteristic to the way we want to play. And being able to just step up and come back third and fourth playing our game – I think that goes to show how much we’ve grown in that sense.”
The Badgers – already confident before the tournament and now with even more reason for confidence after the Stanford win – are not ceding the possibility of still throwing that figurative first punch either.
“We are the writers of our own destiny, and I think that we are always in a position to be able to throw the first punch, no matter who we’re seeing across the net,” Booth said.
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