MADISON, Wis. — In case you missed it, Milwaukee faith leaders and Souls to the Polls Milwaukee held a press conference last week thanking Gov. Evers for standing up for voting rights by vetoing Wisconsin Republicans’ egregious voter suppression bills and rebuking Republicans for their repeated attempts to limit participation in our democracy.
Souls to the Polls mobilizes voters, helps to educate and register new voters, transports people to the polls, and fights for racial equity in voting. At the event, Pastor Steven Tipton noted the significance of Gov. Evers’ veto to protect democracy, “We thank God that we have someone that is willing to stand up to the wrongs that are happening.”
Republicans in the state legislature sent a slew of bills to the governor’s desk seeking to limit voting and make it harder to vote absentee, despite having no proof of widespread voter fraud.
Democratic State Sen. Lena Taylor said, “When they try to take our voting rights, what do we do? We stand up, fight back. That’s what we do.”
Wisconsinites from every corner of the state have fiercely fought back against these bills. Earlier this year, more than 60 business owners and leaders wrote a letter to state lawmakers, chastising GOP lawmakers for creating barriers to voting and “particularly targeting voters with disabilities, elderly voters, and Black and Brown communities.” The disability community also pushed back against the bills, calling out the GOP for their campaign to make it more difficult for disabled voters to cast ballots.
Watch excerpts from the press conference here.
