NEWS
WISCONSIN USED TO BE A PLAYER
HOW WE LOST OUR PLACE IN THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY? BY MICHAEL CARRIERE
O
n April 7, 2020, Wisconsin voters aligned with the Democratic Party headed to the polls to cast a vote for their preferred presidential candidate. Of course, there were other candidates to vote for that day, including Jill Karofsky, who ended up defeating Daniel Kelly in a closely watched Supreme Court race. But many Wisconsinites turned out to voice their support for who would ultimately take on Donald Trump in November, an election whose importance for the future of the United States cannot be overstated. Adding to the gravity of such a deci-
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sion was the fact that, as media outlets around the world pointed out with equal parts incredulity and derision, the Wisconsin primary was taking place during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos—while wearing a full-on hazmat suit—told prospective voters it was perfectly safe to stand in line for hours to cast their vote. And many such voters did have to wait in line for hours, particularly in Milwaukee. The pandemic forced the city to close 175 of its 180 polling places. Thousands of voters thus flocked to just five locations to exercise their voting rights.
Needless to say, social distancing was not an option for such individuals. On the one hand, it is quite inspiring that so many voters risked their health to cast their ballot under such stressful—and potentially dangerous—conditions. Yet the presidential race was already decided by that date, with Joe Biden using a strong showing in the 16 primaries held on March 3, 2020, or “Super Tuesday,” to pull ahead of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (Sanders would formally suspend his campaign on April 8, 2020). In fact, Super Tuesday primaries—including such prizes
