Staff Editorial: Voting Information

At The Lawrentian, we encourage all our readers to vote. We’ve decided to use this space to share some information that could help guide your voting process. First, we’ve included an overview of the candidates that will appear on all Appleton-area ballots.

Governor

Scott Walker (R) [Incumbent]: Walker has served as Governor since 2011. He ignited controversy in 2012 after passing a bill that restricted collective bargaining rights, leading to a recall election. But Walker stayed in office, becoming the only Governor in American history to survive a recall. Under Walker, Wisconsin’s deficit was eliminated, and its unemployment rate reached an all-time low.

Tony Evers (D): Evers has served as the Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2009, after previously being a teacher and principal. If elected governor, he has promised higher funding for Wisconsin public schools, and has voiced support for putting more tax money toward UW schools to decrease tuition.

Senate

Tammy Baldwin (D) [Incumbent]: Baldwin has served as Senator since 2012. While in office, she has worked to stop the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and build a stronger manufacturing economy in Wisconsin. Baldwin is the first openly LGBTQ Senator in US history.

Leah Vukmir (R): Vukmir serves as the assistant majority leader in the State Senate. She has proven to be one of the leading Conservative voices in Wisconsin, supporting Governor Walker’s Act 10 legislation, which helped eliminate Wisconsin’s deficit by restricting collective bargaining rights.

Representatives (District 8)

Mike Gallagher (R) [Incumbent]: Gallagher has a strong background in national security, having served as a marine and counterintelligence officer in the Middle East and North Africa. He also served as a lead Republican staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and as national security advisor for Scott Walker’s presidential campaign. He has served as District 8’s representative since January 2017.

Beau Liegeois (D): Liegeois is an Assistant District Attorney in Brown County and a former member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. He says that he was driven to enter this race out of a desire to protect the Affordable Care Act. Liegeois also aims to protect Medicare and Social Security, safeguard District 8’s waterways and expand educational opportunities for Wisconsin students.

If you wish to register and vote at your polling place, you must bring acceptable proof that you have lived at your present location for 10 days preceding the election. Documents constitute proof of residence if they contains the voter’s current and complete first and last name and residential address. Any official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin governmental body, an employee ID card with a photograph, or a picture ID from a university, college or technical college coupled with a fee receipt or an on-campus housing listing provided by the institution will suffice. For the complete list, go to https://www.appleton.org/government/city-clerk/elections/voting-information.

Please get out and vote! If you’re a Lawrence student, you can vote from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Memorial Presbyterian Church at 803 E College Ave. It is just across the street from the quad. If you have felt passionate about any governmental choices in the past two years, now is your chance to voice those opinions. Do your research on smaller offices as well, as they are the people who will most likely run for higher offices in the future. If you feel as if your vote may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, you can work to encourage other people to vote. If you have the time, canvass for the candidates you want to see in office. Encourage your friends, family and neighbors to vote. It is through the work of individuals that massive change can be observed, so go out and do your part to make history.