Saying Bye to the Bias: Early Voting Vans, Elon Musk, & Climate Plans

Local

Lawsuits during Wisconsin’s 2022 fall election

Who, what, when and where?

Early voting for the Wisconsin general election began this past week while two recent lawsuits changed criteria for which ballots can be counted on Nov. 8. The judge's ruling bans election clerks from filling missing information on envelopes containing absentee ballots. Another lawsuit included bans on drop boxes and restrictions on who can return ballots. Drop boxes can only be located at a local election clerk’s office and only the voter can return their ballot– those with disabilities are eligible for assistance. The ruling is expected to be quickly appealed and could result in confusion among citizens and clerks on the guidelines for the election process and absentee ballots. For more information about who’s on your ballot and how you can vote absentee, click here.

Why does it matter?

According to the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, college students in Wisconsin make up nearly 7% of the total voting population. In a swing state like Wisconsin, candidates have won by about 1 percentage point making every vote count. When Gov. Tony Evers won the election in 2018, he beat Scott Walker by only 1.1 percentage point and the last two presidential elections in Wisconsin have been determined by less than one percentage point.

Mobile voting

Who, what, when and where?

Speaking of voting accessibility, a new voting van in the City of Racine includes a wheelchair lift after their first mobile voting van was found in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The van also includes a check-in table, space for live election viewing, and a handicap accessible voting booth with privacy measures.

Why does it matter?

A mobile voting station can be especially helpful for those who do not have reliable transportation to a polling station. The City of Racine purchased their first voting van in 2020 after the City Clerk struggled to set up remote voting sites for in-person voting. This is also Wisconsin’s first mobile voting station.

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National

Elon Musk newly in charge of Twitter

Who, what, when and where?

Elon Musk officially owns Twitter– one of the most popular social media platforms

nationwide. While he first initiated the $44 billion dollar deal in April, Musk spent

a few months attempting to drop the deal. In early October, two weeks before the

start of the trial, Musk agreed to the terms of his original deal.The

hesitation from Musk was largely due to a concern with the number of fake accounts on the platform and later allegations from a company whistleblower.

Why does it matter?

Musk has mentioned his plan to let go of over half of the current companies’ staff

after immediately firing the top executives upon taking control of Twitter.

He also wants to make Twitter private, meaning you’ll only see TWTR in the

Stock Exchange until Nov. 8. Investors who are buying the company will purchase shares at a premium. Musk has expressed emphasis for more open-speech in Twitter feeds tweeting, “Anyone suspended for minor & dubious reasons will be freed from Twitter jail.” Musk also tweeted his upcoming move to create a content moderation council. Currently, no changes to Twitter's policy has been made.

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International

UN climate plan

Who, what, when and where?

The UN Climate Conference officially kicks off Nov. 6 in Egypt– here’s some background

you may need to know. When the UN discusses Climate Change Mitigation, their goal is to decrease or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. This includes using new technologies, renewable energy sources, making older equipment more efficient, or changing management practices of consumer behavior. Countries are expected to make stronger commitments to the Paris Agreement with more ambitious goals. Previously, the goal was to decrease the global temperature by 1.5 degrees Celsius. Currently, 23 out of 193 countries in the UN have submitted their plans.

Why does it matter?

A statement from the UN Secretary-General states that more progress needs to be made to address air pollution, droughts and floods, food security, and more. Depending on what decisions are made during the conference this year, be on the lookout for changes in climate-related policies worldwide.

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