Apr 28, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
The California legislature recently introduced AB 2223, a radical bill that would essentially legalize infanticide.
The legislation protects mothers from being charged for any “actions or omissions” related to her pregnancy, which include “miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death.” The definition of “perinatal death” typically includes the death of babies seven days or older.
In other words, the bill legalizes the killing of babies born alive under basically any circumstances. It also shields anyone who “aids or assists a pregnant person in exercising” this “right” from just consequences.
This is morally abhorrent and downright evil. A society that permits murder has succumbed completely to nihilism and the forces of darkness.
“For years, pro-life advocates have argued there is no moral difference between ending a child’s life days before birth or days after birth. California’s pro-abortion legislators now seemingly agree,” said Jonathan Keller, President of California Family Council. “A political culture that justifies killing millions of children in the womb is now declaring open season on unwanted newborns. Every Californian must oppose this heinous bill.”
The bill has had two hearings in Assembly committees and passed last week in the Assembly Health Committee on an 11-3 vote. Soon it will head to Assembly Appropriations and then go to the Assembly floor.
While this bill is specific to California, it will inevitably impact Wisconsin. The policies and ideas that come from California won’t stay there. What policymakers do in one state influences elected officials everywhere.
A bill like this is really only one election away in Wisconsin because elections have consequences—sometimes even life and death consequences. Laws really do matter.
As progressives in California continue to push the line on pro-abortion extremism, Democrats in Wisconsin will attempt to keep up and do the same. If we don’t take action, evil ideas about the sanctity of life will soon make their way to our state.
What’s kept a bill like this from becoming law in Wisconsin is conservative majorities in both the Assembly and Senate. However, Governor Evers would certainly sign such a bill if it ever reached his desk. If the state legislature ever flips from conservative to liberal while we have a liberal governor in office,we are in trouble, especially if this bill is already law in California.
This is why all Christians must be involved in politics, remain informed, and vote in a way that honors God. We need to be keenly aware of what the candidates stands for and hold them accountable for what they say they believe. The cost of our ignorance or inaction may be the lives of innocent children.
Let’s keep dangerous legislation like California’s AB 2223 out of Wisconsin by making our voices heard in this year’s fall election. It’s time to elect leaders who will fight back against the moral depravity of the left and who understand, at a minimum, that all human life deserves protection from the moment of conception on.
Please pray that AB 2223 is defeated in California and that all life from the moment of conception is finally respected as a sacred creation of God, bearing His image..
Apr 22, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
We are in the midst of a troubling crisis of faith in America. As church attendance continues to decline, fewer people are picking up their Bibles and staying rooted in God’s Word.
Last week the American Bible Society released the results of its State of the Bible 2022 survey. It revealed an unprecedented drop in Bible reading among Americans over the last year, decreasing from 50% to 39% of self-described Bible users.
In the survey, Bible users are defined as those using the Bible at least three to four times each year on their own outside of a church setting–not an extraordinary amount of time by any means. For Americans who use the Bible, at least 73% percent were introduced to it as children. Of those who don’t use the Bible, 55% come from homes with little or no Bible engagement.
Just 10% of U.S. adults use the Bible daily and 5% read the Bible once a week. This means the vast majority are not relying on the Word of God on a daily basis.
These results are sobering since the Bible is God’s Word to mankind, giving us the Gospel, direction, wisdom and more. The Bible must influence our everyday decisions and change the way we live our lives. Without God’s Word as our guide, we are forced to rely on our flawed and sinful nature.
Further, it is vital that our worldview comes from the Bible rather than our pagan culture. Society tells us that the purpose of life is to discover and express our most authentic inner selves. The Bible, however, tells us to lean on God and His wisdom rather than on our own understanding and submit to Him in all things (Proverbs 3:5-6). Unless we continuously read and remind ourselves of God’s Word, we will surely fall victim to the lies of the devil being promoted by our culture.
One positive take-away of the American Bible Society’s survey is that when children are exposed to the Bible, they are likely to grow up to be Bible users. Thus, the tonic to America’s spiritual illness is to raise the next generation with God’s Word. Parents should regularly read the Bible to and with their children.
Parents must be countercultural as they raise their children and instill in them a biblical worldview. Simply living as everyone else does will lead our children to moral decay as they are formed by the anti-Christian culture. We must honor God’s Word first and foremost through our own example and secondly through intentional at-home education. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” says Proverbs 22:6.
Please pray for a Christian revival and a return to biblical principles in Wisconsin and our country at large. A free and prosperous nation is only possible with a moral people, and the only reliable morality comes from God’s Word.
Apr 20, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
The coronavirus crisis has catalyzed a drastic surge in homeschooling as parents’ concerns grow about public education.
While homeschooling numbers are slightly lower than last year’s record high, they are still significantly higher than pre-COVID-19 levels. During the 2020-2021 school year, the number of homeschooling students in the U.S. increased by 63%. Even though schools have re-opened, the majority of families that opted for homeschooling over remote learning have continued with it.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum reported historic drops in enrollment for public and private schools in Wisconsin. Nearly 31,900 students were homeschooled during the 2020-21 school year, which is a 47% increase from the previous year.
Private school enrollment took less of a hit than public school enrollment, but still saw the greatest decrease since 2013.
Virtual charter schools also attracted new Wisconsin families, as enrollment increased by 84% from last year.
In Milwaukee, public school enrollment decreased by 4.2% and 151 students switched to homeschooling.
Parents have attributed their decision to homeschool to philosophical differences with their schools, Covid restrictions, and concerns about the quality of education. Generally, children arebetter off learning vital skills and values from their parents than being propagandized from activist teachers.
With so much corruption happening in public schools, homeschooling acts as a beacon of hope. Children benefit greatly, especially mentally and spiritually, when they are primarily guided by their parents rather than the anti-Christian culture that is overrunning schools.
Thankfully, Wisconsin is leading the country in school choice, and it offers homeschooling parents plenty of freedom to direct their children’s education. The homeschool law was passed in 1983 and hasn’t been changed since then, making it one of the best homeschool laws in the country.
The Academy of Excellence Online (AoE) provides an excellent homeschooling opportunity for families in Wisconsin – it is a virtual program available for Wisconsin parents interested in homeschooling and also is part of the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (“the voucher program”).. The deadline for applying is April 21st! AoE also has brick-and-mortar Christian schools in Milwaukee that also participate in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.
Homeschooling is an excellent option for parents who want to protect their children from radical indoctrination. It provides parents the opportunity to train their children for the ideological battle being waged against them. Children need to learn how to recognize and combat the lies they are being fed, meaning all parents must engage in some form of education at home. The very best defense for children is parents being on offense!
This transition away from public school is a necessary and exciting change. Let’s keep the momentum going in Wisconsin and continue to vouch for homeschooling and school choice in order to protect children and parents’ rights. Hopefully next legislative session we can expand educational freedom in Wisconsin.
Apr 14, 2022 | News, Uncategorized, Wisconsin Family Voice
Divorce has become so prevalent that we often forget how harmful it is to children.
Statistically, children with divorced parents suffer in all areas of life. They are more likely to develop behavioral problems, struggle academically, commit crime, live in poverty, abuse drugs and alcohol, experience illness, and suffer from psychological distress.
Demographic Research claims that divorce has an even greater impact on children than parental death when it comes to their education.
Unfortunately, state laws are not helping the millions of children who will suffer from broken families. With no-fault divorce laws, marriages are now easier to end than cell phone contracts, and they reflect the ever-growing belief that all that matters is what the adults want—what they “need” to be “happy”—regardless of what is best for the children.
Wisconsin in particular has the worst combination of divorce laws in the country. Since the early 80s, Wisconsin couples have been able to divorce without presenting allegations or evidence of fault.
Since the no-fault laws passed, no judge in Wisconsin has denied a divorce. Why? Because there is no legal way for a judge to deny a divorce under our current law.
Each year, thousands of minor children are directly impacted—as truly innocent victims—by divorce in the Badger State.
For the past three sessions, Republican legislators have introduced a bill we dubbed the “divorce-today-remarry-tomorrow” bill. This session, it was Assembly Bill 79. The proposal would have completely eliminated Wisconsin’s six-month waiting period after a divorce before a remarriage. Fortunately, for the third time, Wisconsin Family Action successfully killed this bill that would further erode the institution of marriage and would certainly hurt minor children.
In the last two sessions, we offered two ideas for amendments. The first proposal was to refrain from completely eliminating the waiting period and instead reduce it to three months (or some other reasonable amount of time). Our second offer was to keep a serious waiting period for couples with minor children—because it’s the children who are most traumatized by all that transpires in these tragic situations.
The Assembly rejected the ideas and passed the bill as originally proposed. In this current session, the bill died in the Senate, as it had in the previous session. Marriage counselors and therapists have repeatedly told us the waiting period after a divorce should be longer, not shorter, because of the stress that happens during a divorce proceeding. Changing this waiting period is all about adult desires trumping what is best for children.
On a practical level, we know that every divorce brings both a social and financial cost to the entire society.
Divorce undermines the sacred institution of marriage and weakens the family unit. A weak family unit results in a tumultuous society that rests on a crumbling foundation.
After a divorce, the custodial parent’s income decreases significantly. Families of divorce are nearly five times more likely to live in poverty than those with married parents.
Most notably, divorce causes children to suffer from emotional wounds that affect them for the rest of their lives. They are left with severe deficiencies as they lack a stable home environment while they are most vulnerable.
In order to protect children and honor the sacred institution of marriage, Wisconsin needs to reform its divorce laws in a way that will better protect children. If it means bringing fault back into the process, then we should strongly consider that abuse, abandonment, or adultery should be back on the table as faults. We certainly don’t need to eliminate completely the waiting period after a divorce before a remarriage—in particular for couples with minor children. That would just make matters worse.
When children are involved, adult desires must be secondary to what is truly in the best interest of the children. The bottom line is we need a return to the belief that marriage, as designed by God, is a lifelong, monogamous relationship between one man and one woman, generally not intended to be broken except by the death of one of the spouses.
Apr 12, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Gov. Tony Evers took action on 78 bills last week, signing 35 and vetoing 43. He vetoed a number of bills that would have made beneficial laws in Wisconsin. With these vetoes, Evers has set a new gubernatorial veto record for a single session. He’s vetoed 98 bills.
Several of the bills pertained to election reform. Senate Bill 942 required the Elections Commission to disclose any failures of the Commission or Departments of Transportation, Corrections, and Health Services to abide by election laws. The Department of Administration would also be required to remove positions and funding from state agencies as punishment for failure to abide by election laws.
In his rationale, Gov. Evers called the bill a “flagrant violation of the separation of powers” and a threat to “independent elections.” Ironic, no?
Election integrity is a major issue throughout our country right now, with Wisconsin in several ways leading the pack. Many voters are rightly concerned that their voice is being undermined by fraud. Had it been signed into law, SB 942 would have helped safeguard secure and transparent elections and re-instill confidence in Wisconsin voters. Unfortunately, this was not a priority for Evers.
Senate Bill 938 also would have helped safeguard fair elections. It required the Department of Transportation to mark IDs that are invalid for voting purposes. Evers claimed that “there is no evidence of non-citizens voting in this state.” That’s an interesting way to dodge the well-documented trail of evidence of voter fraud in Wisconsin in general. Regardless, this measure would have prevented fraudulent votes from being cast and boosted voter confidence.
In addition, Senate Bill 939 would have made several changes to the process of obtaining an absentee ballot such as restricting automatically sent ballots, prohibiting sending ballots before voters request them, and others. Again, the bill would have helped prevent election fraud and safeguarded our form of government in Wisconsin, but Evers blocked it from becoming law. Again, given the well-documented voter fraud in Wisconsin that involved absentee ballots and nursing homes, SB 939 should have been a no-brainer.
Fact: Governor Tony Evers has vetoed every election reform bill given to him—and there have been many since January 2021.
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen governors in many states, including in The Badger Srate, abuse their emergency powers and enact tyrannical Covid restrictions. To protect individual liberties, we need to place limits on such powers through legislation. We had the opportunity to do so in Wisconsin with Assembly Bill 912, which would have placed limits on emergency powers during emergencies, but again, Evers blocked it.
Assembly Bill 414 is another vital piece of legislation that Evers shot down. The bill would have banned Critical Race Theory (CRT) training for any local or state employees. CRT is a racist worldview that is plaguing education and government agencies. No employee should ever have to endure harmful indoctrination to keep their job. In his poor rationale, Evers simply claimed that he is opposing the bill because it infringes upon the executive branch. Does he need a reminder that it is the legislature’s duty to write laws?
Lastly, Evers vetoed several bills that would allocate taxpayer-funded federal Covid relief monies to specific entities with specific amounts rather than his unilateral disbursement of these funds to groups that he is paying back or that will support his re-election this fall. Unfortunately, Evers refused to ensure that Covid relief funds are used fairly and efficiently.
Evers is clearly not honoring the will of the Wisconsin people. Voters wanted to see these measures passed, and their elected representatives did so. It is Evers’ job to listen to his constituents.
Thankfully, there is an election coming up this fall, and we have the power to hold this governor accountable.
Apr 7, 2022 | News, Uncategorized, Wisconsin Family Voice
Tuesday’s non-partisan spring general election provided one big lesson for Wisconsin: parents are catching on to what is happening in public schools. Conservative school board candidates had a banner night on Tuesday, winning all the available seats in Wausau, Manitowoc, Waukesha, Menomonee falls, Elm Brook New Berlin, Mukwonago, Kewaskum, West Bend, and Germantown, just to name a few. Conservatives made gains in many more school districts across the state by displacing incumbent liberals and flipping county boards, city councils, and school boards.
In Brown County, three of the seven candidates WFA PAC endorsed won, and in Kenosha County, conservatives flipped the county board and also won three seats on the School Board. Cedarburg School District and Wausau also favored conservatives, as three of four conservative candidates that WFA, Inc.,encouraged people to vote for won in both areas.
Education has been the major issue in elections since last year when Terry McAuliffe, Democrat candidate for governor of Virginia said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” He lost the Virginia governor’s race because of that rare moment of honesty. Shortly after that, President Biden’s education secretary, Miguel Cardona, was asked if he thought parents are the primary stakeholder in their children’s education. He responded that they were “a stakeholder,” but refused to say that they were the primary stakeholder.
Then earlier this year, right here in Wisconsin, we had Representative Lee Snodgrass, a Democrat from Appleton, tweet, “If parents want to ‘have a say’ in their child’s education, they should home school or pay for private school tuition out of their family budget.” Well, it turns out that on Tuesday, parents got to have a say after all.
The tone deafness coming from the left about our children’s education continues, however. Right now, many public school districts in Wisconsin are, as a policy, trying to put parents in the back seat of their children’s education. One of the worst examples comes out of Eau Claire, where the school district held a training event that told school staff, “Facilitators, guide this discussion [about sexual and gender identity]. Remember, parents are not entitled to know their kids’ identities. That knowledge must be earned.” As if this was not shocking and inappropriate enough, the same school-sponsored event went on to characterize a parent’s objection to a child transitioning their gender away from God’s design as weaponizing religion.”
It is important to remember that God entrusts children to their parents, not to the government. Parents are responsible for raising up a child in the way he/she should go, which includes being responsible for and making decisions about, the child’s schooling. Hopefully, this Tuesday’s election results are taking us a few steps closer to putting parents back in control of their children’s education.
Apr 1, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
It seems Disney is no longer wholesome family entertainment. A video was leaked Tuesday in which Disney President Karey Burke stated that she wants a “minimum of 50 percent of its characters to be LGBTQIA” or of another minority group.
“I’m here as the mother of two queer children,” Burke said during the Zoom call, “one transgender child and one pansexual child.” She claimed that “going forward,” Disney should be telling their stories.
To make matters worse, Disney’s Animation Executive Producer bragged about her attempt to groom young children. “Our leadership over there has been so welcoming to my not-so-secret gay agenda,” she said. “Wherever I could I was adding queerness. No one would stop me and no one was trying to stop me.”
Further, Production Coordinator Allen March boasted about a “tracker” he uses to meet quotas for LGBT characters in a new Disney TV series called “Moon Girl.” Not only is he working to ensure that LGBT characters make an appearance, he also aims to center stories around these characters.
This gives us further insight into Disney’s recent string of ultra-liberal and woke decisions. The company also ultimately opposed Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill (now law after Gov. DeSantis signed the bill this week), which prohibits schools from teaching kindergarten through third grade students gender identity and sexual orientation. Employees staged a walkout during which they wore rainbow colors, held pro-LGBTQ+ signs, and shouted “say gay” in protest of the bill. Evidently, these employees have joined an astonishing number of other leftists who didn’t read the bill, because nowhere does the text say, “don’t say gay.”
It seems Disney wants schools to indoctrinate children who are too young to be learning about sexuality, with lies about gender and sexual orientation. And now Disney will aggressively join the indoctrination.
In response to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, Disney issued a corporate statement, which reads, “Our goal as a company is for this law to be repealed by the Legislature or struck down in the courts, and we remain committed to supporting the national and state organizations working to achieve that.”
Christopher Rufo, the journalist who leaked the video, said he’s received numerous messages from parents who are cutting all ties with Disney over its attempt to indoctrinate their children.
It’s no wonder that the number of children reporting symptoms of gender dysphoria is on the rise. Gender ideology is being intentionally made part of their seemingly harmless entertainment. They are constantly inundated with dangerous leftist propaganda that threatens to corrupt their developing minds. In a recent study from Brown University, parents reported “that their children exhibited an increase in social media/internet use prior to disclosure of a transgender identity.” It is reasonable to expect that the rates of gender dysphoria among youths will only increase as their consumption of LGBTQ+ propaganda increases in entertainment.
Florida State Rep. Joe Harding (R) warned that the left is using Disney to further its agenda and believes parents need to fight back. “[The Left has made] Disney, which is in every home in America…part of their arm of influence. If we do not make this the last stand — [if we] do not make this a turning point, I believe it could be too late to recover from it.”
Harding is right. Parents must be vigilant when it comes to the media and entertainment their children consume. Every parent needs to be aware of Disney’s concerted effort to groom their children and make decisions for their family going forward.
If parents don’t take action, they are risking that their children will end up pledging allegiance to radical gender ideology and placing their faith in the secular whims of the day instead of in God.
Mar 30, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
The Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is now our governor, refused to grant an independent Catholic school transportation benefits unless it agreed to not call itself “Catholic.” Now the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) is requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court review the case to determine whether the superintendent violated the First Amendment.
Wisconsin provides funding to private schools as long as there is not overlapping attendance between multiple private schools that are affiliated with the same sponsor. The Department of Public Instruction denied students at St. Augustine transportation because there is another Catholic school in the area. St. Augustine, however, is independent and not affiliated with Archdiocese, rendering Evers’ decision unlawful.
WILL previously won a lawsuit when an appeal court ruled that Tony Evers did break the law. However, the court did not address the constitutional question regarding religious liberty.
It’s clear that the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment prohibits Evers from giving St. Augustine school this ultimatum.
“The critical constitutional questions at the heart of this case remain unresolved,” said Anthony LoCoco, deputy counsel for WILL. “Government bureaucrats cannot withhold a benefit by imposing their own religious definitions on institutions like St. Augustine School.”
Government officials have been hostile toward private and religious schools in Wisconsin and refused transportation funding for years, suggesting that their discrimination is intentional.
“I do think one takeaway from this case is just how far government officials are willing to go in fights against parents and families in private schools. We’ve been at this now for six years, and we’ve been to the Supreme Court twice now, and they’re still unwilling to pay this transportation aid,” LoCoco continued. “The ordinary Wisconsin family cannot afford six years of litigation just to get their kids to school.”
The court’s decision will impact not just Catholics, but people of all faith backgrounds. Any institution that identifies with a religion could be denied funding or discriminated against if the court sides with Evers’ decision. If institutions must decide between professing their faith and receiving funding to keep their operations running, they do not truly have religious liberty.
Every institution and every individual must be free to express their faith and identify with a religion, without contingencies. This is the very principle that our country was founded on. “The constitutional freedom of religion is the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights,” wrote Thomas Jefferson.
Any effort to repress this freedom is an attack on the very foundation of America.
Further, any refusal to allow religious liberty is also an attack on human dignity. Our ability to contemplate the transcendent, search for Truth, and profess our faith is bound to our humanity.
Join Wisconsin Family Action in prayer that the US Supreme Court establishes justice and protects human dignity by upholding religious liberty in Wisconsin, and use your voice to talk to your neighbors about this continued assault on religious freedom right here in our own backyards.
Mar 25, 2022 | News, Uncategorized, Wisconsin Family Voice
In spite of the fact that experts say time has expired on enshrining the so-called “Equal Rights Amendment” (ERA) as the 28th Amendment to our US Constitution, a number of Democrats are still working aggressively to that end.
The ERA allegedly aims to guarantee equal rights for men and women. It reads, “equality of rights under law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Proponents of the ERA seems to overlook the 1964 Civil Rights Act which already prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, among other things, and the left is no longer hiding that the ERA is simply a vehicle to enshrine abortion on-demand and transgenderism into our federal laws.
Many Democrats, however, are today refusing to define the term “woman,” despite the fact that biology and common sense provide a clear definition. This, of course, begs the question: what’s the point of the ERA?
During this week’s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sen. Marsha Blackburn asked the judge to define the word “woman.” “Can I provide a definition? No, I can’t,” responded Jackson. Throughout the course of the hearing, however, Jackson repeatedly used the word woman.
Blackburn pointed out the danger in the left’s unwillingness to differentiate the sexes. “Just last week, an entire generation of young girls watched as our taxpayer-funded institutions permitted a biological man to compete and beat a biological woman in the NCAA Swimming Championships,” said Blackburn.
The public is told not to trust their eyes, but to call a man with XY chromosomes a woman simply because the transgender revolutionaries say he’s a woman. “The case of this collegiate swimmer reveals nothing less than a deep insanity that is now gripping our culture…It is a communal act of mass delusion,” said Albert Mohler.
Further perpetuating this mass delusion, USA Today recently included Rachel Levine, a biological man, in its “women of the year” list. Along with the rest of the cultural elites, the outlet seems to not know what a woman is.
What, then, we ask again, is the point of an Equal Rights Amendment? If men can be women and women can be men, why do both sexes need distinct protections? Democrats are pretending that the line between men and women is blurred yet want to solidify the line when it suits them, like when there’s an opportunity to push their progressive agenda in other areas. The ERA is a perfect example of this opportunist flip-flopping; proponents of the ERA claim that its passage is absolutely necessary for “women’s rights,” which in this context, conveniently translates into the federal codification of Roe v. Wade.
History has demonstrated time and time again that when we subvert nature and God’s design, our actions end in disaster.
As we prepare for the upcoming spring and fall elections, we should consider this issue and vote in accordance with biblical principles. Our elected officials should, at the very least, be able to define the word woman. They should honor God’s creative design and recognize that men and women were created differently and distinctly, each with a unique purpose. God does not make mistakes, and no one gets to choose their gender.
The good news is that there are Christ-centered candidates who reject the lies of the left and are willing to stand up to the progressive mob. We have an opportunity this year to change the trajectory of our communities and state by electing leaders who value truth over ideology, leaders who haven’t fallen prey to the delusions of the day.
If you need a biblical worldview on this issue, we urge you to “put your ears on” and “gird up the loins of your mind” (I Peter 1:13, KJV)and listen to Dr. Mohler. Take 23 minutes to do so and you will be glad you did.
Mar 23, 2022 | News, Uncategorized, Wisconsin Family Voice
Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male, was permitted to compete at the NCAA Women’s Championships last week where he dominated his competition.
Thomas took first place in the 500 free event and the Thursday morning qualifier, beating the second-place competitor by nearly 3 seconds, a larger gap than the time difference between the second and eleventh place finishers.
While competing on a men’s team for three years, Thomas was ranked No. 462 nationally. Now that he is competing among women, he is ranked No. 1.
It’s abundantly clear that Thomas is cheating, and men do not belong in women’s sports. His gender identity is irrelevant to the question of whether or not it is fair for him to compete against women. The only thing that matters is his biology.
We know that men possess innate physical advantages over women. Ross Tucker of the Science of Sport podcast explains that “[m]ale bodies have 10-30 percent greater muscle strength, greater bone density, better oxygen efficiency, larger heart and lungs, more efficient pelvic Q-angle and elbow angles, as well as 10 percent more overall body mass.”
USA Swimming released new rules for transgender swimmers that require men to show testosterone levels within a certain range in order to compete against women. However, this is not enough to level the playing field. The advantage that men hold cannot be reversed.
The woke athletic culture is making decisions based on ideology rather than reality. The reality is that Thomas boasts an advantage even greater than if an athlete were using performance enhancing drugs that would disqualify him/her from participating.
He is stealing titles and opportunities from deserving women who have worked tirelessly to be the best in their sport. He has also broken several records, meaning the women who held them previously no longer do.
“I’ve got a teammate who did not make the final today because she was just bumped out of finals,” said one swimmer. “It’s heartbreaking to see someone who went through puberty as a male and has the body of a male be able to absolutely blow away the competition.”
Women’s sports exist purely to create a level playing field for women because men have an undeniable, innate physical advantage. If biological men are allowed to compete against women, women’s sports are pointless. Unless we stop this gender ideology madness, women’s sports will soon be eradicated.
The Wisconsin State legislature tried to mitigate this issue through legislation, but two necessary bills failed to pass this session. Senate Bill 323 and its Assembly companion, Assembly Bill 195, would have prohibited all US System schools and all technical colleges from allowing biological males to compete on or in women’s athletic teams or competitions. Similarly, Senate Bill 322 and Assembly Bill 196 would have prohibited public schools, independent charter schools and private schools participating in the voucher program from allowing biological males to compete on or in girls’ athletic teams or competitions.
All of these bills passed in the assigned committees, but leadership in both the Assembly and the Senate never brought them to the floor for votes. Typically, that means that the majority party, which is the Republicans in both the Assembly and the Senate, did not have the votes from their own party to ensure passage. We also know had these bills made it to the governor’s desk, Tony Evers would have immediately vetoed any and all of them.
These bills need to be brought back in the new session that will begin in January 2023. But between now and then, Wisconsin citizens need to remember that elections have consequences. If we want to keep boys and men out of girls’ and women’s sports, then we need, at a minimum, a governor who will sign the bills.
Mar 18, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Disruptions within the foundation of society are raging throughout the country as children suffer immensely from fatherlessness, single parenting, and divorce.
In 2019, the percentage of households led by single parents was as high as 30-60% in many Wisconsin cities. The issue of fatherlessness, in particular, is rampant. Over 80% of children in Milwaukee are born to single moms. Throughout the country, over 20 million children are living in homes without a father.
Tragically, without a father to act as a role model, these children tend to perpetuate the cycle and repeat their parents’ mistakes.
Children have a right to both their mother and father. Both parents provide different and necessary things for a child. Children need the safety, love, and stability that comes from living with both of their parents. Without a mother or father, children will look for these things in other, often destructive, ways. They are also likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems.
Fatherless homes produce children that are far more likely to become addicted to drugs and alcohol, live in poverty, commit suicide, struggle academically, drop out of school, engage in violence, commit crime, and even go to prison.
Over 80% of children with behavioral disorders and 90% of children who are homeless or ran away from home grew up without a father.
According to the Washington Post, “Single motherhood has grown so common in America that demographers now believe half of all children will live with a single mom at some point before the age of 18…Research suggests that children with two parents fare better in many ways— in school, in their own relationships— than children with only one parent.”
Single parent households are enabled by Wisconsin’s harmful combination of divorce laws. Our state allows no-fault, no-contest divorces, which means there is absolutely no reason for a judge to deny a divorce. No judge has denied a divorce since this law went into effect over 40 years ago.
The root of this issue is that adults have prioritized their desires over children’s needs. The moral framework that God has given us for our good and His glory has been ignored, scoffed at, and shunned. We have many victims as a result, and children have been harmed the most.
The best way to encourage two-parent households is to honor marriage. When children are born outside of wedlock, they are 3 times more likely to live in single-parent homes. Faithful marriages are the solution to so many problems that children face.
Fatherless and single parenting are epidemics that are causing destruction and stripping children of their rights. In order for our communities to flourish and children to thrive, we must address this issue.
Children need strong family units. If we truly are to put children first, we must make sure we approach relationships – marriage especially – with sincerity and responsibility, knowing that our children’s futures depend on our commitment to their well-being. That means ensuring that children are raised in safe, loving homes with a father and a mother whenever possible.
Mar 11, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
We are less than one month away from Wisconsin’s spring election! Tuesday, April 5 is election day.
This is our spring nonpartisan general election. We will be electing mayors, city council members, town and village board members, county executives, county supervisors, school board members, and municipal, circuit and appellate judges.
Early in-person voting starts March 22, and absentee by mail ballots are already available with your local clerk. If at all possible, deliver your absentee ballot (the one you received in the mail) to the clerk’s office in person. Don’t use a drop box or put it in the mail unless absolutely necessary. To find your local clerk and inquire about days and hours of early in-person voting, click here.
Want to know what’s on the ballot? Starting next week, sample ballots should be available, and you can view them here. You can also find information on registering, getting an absentee ballot, where to vote, and more using that link, too.
No level of government impacts our lives more than local government. And we can have more impact on local government than any other level.
There are two things here we don’t want you to miss: 1) how important it is for parents to be actively engaged in their children’s lives and their education, and 2) you — yes, YOU — have a role to play in how elected officials treat you and govern your community.
In a poll on Instagram earlier this week, we asked if viewers wanted changes made in the way their county is governed. 100% of them said “yes.” If you’re one of those people, or you agree with them, we’ve created an event just for you called, Your Backyard: Own It! We firmly believe God has called each of us to play a critical role in our government, whether that’s voting responsibly, speaking up in local government meetings, or running for office. At this event, we will educate you on the unique needs of your local community and how to create positive and lasting change.
We are living in challenging and quickly changing times, and God has a purpose for each of us to impact our local communities. We hope you can join us for an evening filled with practical ways to “own our backyard.” Click here to find a location near you and RSVP.
With significant issues at stake in Wisconsin right now, who we elect is critical to the preservation of life, liberty, and family. We have a wonderful opportunity to let our voices be heard at this election, and it’s important to make the most of it.
See you at the polls on Tuesday, April 5!
Mar 8, 2022 | News, Uncategorized, Wisconsin Family Voice
A recent poll issued by the Marquette Law School revealed that many Wisconsin voters are in favor of expanding school choice and giving parents the right to decide where to send their children, regardless of family income. Fifty-nine percent supported “allowing all students statewide to use publicly funded vouchers to attend private or religious schools” while 37% opposed it. The number in support rose 18% from August 2020.
The poll also revealed that over half of the participants believed that schools are worse shape now compared to a few years ago, whereas in 2018, only 44% thought this was true. Furthermore, “47% of voters say the standards are lower than they should be,” which has remained consistent since early 2014.
With the introduction of Critical Race Theory (CRT), pro-LGBTQ+ curricula, and a shift from American classic novels and history to sexualized literature and education, many parents are frustrated with the public school system and are seeking alternatives.
Some more compelling evidence: another recent poll from RealClear Opinion Research discovered that an overwhelming 72% of voters nationally support school choice (up 8% from 2020) and that includes Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
“These poll numbers are stunning,” said Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children. “The past two years have exposed to the world what many in the parental choice movement have known for decades: no single educational environment is right for every child. As the battle over educational freedom continues, party affiliation is secondary to ensuring all families are empowered to choose the best educational setting for their children.”
And the battle will continue. WFA has been vocal about Assembly Bill 970 (AB 970) which would expand school choice options in Wisconsin. If passed, income limits for parental choice programs and pupil participation limits would be eliminated and an education expense reimbursement program for students remaining in public school for the 2022-2023 school year would be created.
School choice is a parent’s right and should not be determined by the state. Children are not all the same; what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another and it shouldn’t have to. It’s like trying to put a square block into a circular hole; it just won’t fit. Instead of trying to conform children to one specific mold, we should let parents, who know their children best, decide where to send them to school.
Woke indoctrination is flooding our schools and harming our children. We cannot stand by and continue to let it brainwash them; there must be an alternative. Wisconsin voters have voiced their support for school choice, and now it’s time to turn that support into law.
Last month the State Assembly passed AB 970, and the Senate passed it earlier this week. The bill will shortly be on its way to the governor.
Take action: contact Governor Evers and urge him to support educational choice for all. Send him an online message HERE or call his office at 608-266-1212.
Mar 4, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Earlier this week, Wisconsin Family Action filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of Coach Joseph Kennedy, who was fired from Bremerton School District in Washington State after he prayed briefly at the 50-yard line.
For years, Kennedy would pray very briefly by himself following football games. At one point, students became curious about what he was doing. When asked if they could join, he told them it was a free country, and they could do what they wanted. As time went on, more and more students and even coaches from other teams joined in.
After nearly half the team began to participate in these short prayers, the school told him he could no longer pray publicly. Kennedy initially obeyed the order, but later believed it violated his freedoms of speech and religion. He felt responsible to thank God for the games in that way. So, he continued to pray, and as a result, lost his job.
Believing his termination to be illegal, Kennedy, represented by our friends at First Liberty, appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, but subsequently lost. The U.S. Court of Appeals suggested that Coach Kennedy was a bad example to the students when he prayed. Treating such prayers with contempt conflicts with the religion clauses of our constitution, which protect our religious diversity.
At issue before the Supreme Court is whether Coach Kennedy has speech and religious rights to pray briefly in public, and whether the Establishment Clause trumps those rights.
The Supreme Court’s modern interpretation of the Establishment Clause has been premised on the notion that religious pluralism requires neutrality. But the effect at schools like Bremerton School District has not been neutrality; it is only singling out religious speech—among all other kinds of controversial speech — as the only speech worthy of punishment.
We all suffer when our First Amendment freedoms are violated. Religious speech should not be singled-out for punishment in a free and diverse society. A short prayer following a game, joined in only by those who want to, hardly amounts to an establishment of religion, particularly when the school was clear that the district itself had nothing to do with Kennedy’s activities.
As a nation built on Christian principles, we can and must do better. Our constitution does not require us to abandon our religious traditions. The Establishment Clause does not require schools to fire a coach like Joseph Kennedy just because he said a small prayer after a football game.
The issue in this case isn’t whether we approve of prayer or whether we would do what Coach Kennedy did if we were in his shoes. At issue here is whether any of us have freedom if Coach Kennedy can be silenced. And if he can be silenced, anyone can.
Wisconsin Family Action is honored to help support Coach Kennedy. Please pray for him and his family for strength and peace as their case goes before the Supreme Court.
May the Lord grant him favor in the eyes of the Justices and cause them to deliver a fair ruling. And may Coach Kennedy’s godly testimony be used to win souls for Christ.
Mar 2, 2022 | News, Uncategorized, Wisconsin Family Voice
This week, Wisconsin Family Action (WFA), represented by Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), joined Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right to Life in issuing a letter to Governor Evers demanding that he explain the legal basis for the two grants he has given to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
The funds for the grants, totaling $2.4 million for Planned Parenthood alone, have come from a couple of COVID-19 federal relief programs. The state legislature has passed several bills that would have directed at least some of the funds, but the governor has vetoed all of them.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin received $1.4 million from the “COVID-19 Pandemic Response Nonprofit Grant Program” and then received an additional $1 million last month from the “Equitable Recovery Grant Program.” Both programs were concocted by the governor, without legislative approval or permission.
WILL attorneys assert that Governor Evers has no authority to create grant programs, has disregarded appropriate department rulemaking to govern the distribution of the funds, and has violated state law that prohibits federal funds being given as a grant to pregnancy programs that promote, refer for, or perform abortions.
WFA president, Julaine Appling, commented on the governor’s actions:
“The people of Wisconsin deserve a full explanation of the legal authority Governor Evers is using to justify his largesse to Wisconsin’s largest abortion provider. This is the peoples’ tax dollars. Some might consider what the governor has done as a kind of ‘quid pro quo’ since Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin spent $700,000 to help get the governor elected in 2018.
“This isn’t the first time the governor has acted with questionable authority. Two years ago, he unilaterally extended an emergency declaration that exceeded the 60-day statutory limit. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ultimately stopped that power grab.
“In this instance, the Governor is giving our hard-earned tax dollars to an organization whose number-one funding source is the killing of unborn babies. Through our elected officials in recent years, ‘we the people’ have made it clear we don’t want public funds to support abortion in any way; and state laws have been put in place to stop that in many instances.
“Unless Governor Evers has a solid legal basis for these grant programs and the distribution of these millions to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, he is apparently just fine with taking the law into his own hands. The voters may have something to say about that this fall.”
The letter sent to Governor Evers is available HERE.
Feb 22, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
For the fifth year in a row, China’s birth rate has dropped significantly. It hit a record low in 2021, of only 7.5 births per every 1,000 people. This rate is barely enough to outnumber deaths.
National Bureau of Statistics head Ning Jizhe said the decrease in births is a result of “a decrease in the number of women of childbearing age, a continued decline in fertility, changes in attitudes toward childbearing and delays of marriage by young people.”
For years, the Communist government forced women to abort all children after their first under China’s one-child policy. Now, the government is feverishly releasing propaganda and passing laws to encourage families to have more children, realizing that its one-child policy led to a shrinking workforce and economic decline.
The Chinese government’s view of children is what we must avoid in the United States.
Having children and expanding families should always be encouraged. It’s healthy for individuals and society as a whole.
While we don’t have to deal with the same roadblocks in the U.S. that have existed in China, our birth rate has also declined significantly over the last several decades. In 2020, the country saw 56 births per 1,000 women, which is the lowest birth rate ever recorded in the U.S. Since the 1960s, the birth rate has decreased by about half.
The birth rate in Wisconsin is not any better than that of the rest of the country. Wisconsin has been below replacement birth-rate since 1974. The replacement birth-rate is 2.1 children for each woman of child-bearing age. That number doesn’t grow a population; it just holds it even.
Birth rates are incredibly important, as they reveal a lot about the health of a community. They often reflect a society’s view of marriage and family or a population’s fertility rate. A high birth rate also helps sustain a growing economy and a high standard of living.
The falling birth rate in America and Wisconsin’s decades-old low birth rate can be attributed to a number of things. First, women are prioritizing things such as education and careers more than ever before, meaning they are getting married later in life. On average, women are having their first child at the age of 27, a stark increase from the average age of 23 in 2010.
Abortion has also undoubtedly affected the birth rate in the U.S. Every year, well over 600,000 children are stripped of the right to life in the U.S.
Not only does abortion end the lives of pre-born children, it also alters our view of children. Our culture tells us that babies are disposable and without inherent value. As a result, our society simply doesn’t prioritize family life.
Restoring a healthy birth rate will require a shift in our culture. We need men and women to recognize the value of marriage and of life and the lasting fulfillment that having children provides.
We must avoid the situation that China has gotten itself into. While legislation typically follows the culture, some legislation can help with at least one contributor to the falling birth-rate.
WFA is supporting Senate Bill 923, which would prohibit abortions after a heartbeat can be detected. If this bill were to become law, we would essentially stop the vast majority of abortions in our state. Meanwhile, we await a US Supreme Court decision on Dobbs, the case that many believe will, at a minimum, roll-back Roe v. Wade, and return the issue of abortion to the states (and Wisconsin still has in place its statute that criminalizes most abortions).
All life is sacred and a high birth rate is an indicator of a healthy society. Please pray that men and women in Wisconsin recognize the importance of marrying and having children and will re-prioritize family life.
Take action: contact your legislators and ask them to support SB 923! (Simply put your address in the top search bar to locate your legislators.)
Feb 17, 2022 | Legislation, News, Wisconsin Family Voice
The Assembly Committee on Education held a hearing on Assembly Bill 970 Wednesday. The bill would essentially provide universal school choice here in The Badger State.
WFA has been a vocal proponent of school choice over the years. We were thrilled when Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican-led state legislature expanded the Parental Choice Program (PCP) to the entire state as the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program. Assembly Bill 970 will further expand educational opportunities for families and promote parental rights.
I testified to the committee in support of this bill, explaining that several studies demonstrate the efficacy of school choice.
With the formation of School Choice Wisconsin and Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty, we
have conducted extensive research showing that students enrolled in one of our PCPs (Milwaukee, Racine, Statewide), on average, do very well, often out-performing their peers in public schools.
In WILL’s most recent Apples to Apples Study (covering 2019 test data), Milwaukee’s Parental Choice Program Proficiency rates in math exceeded rates in Milwaukee Public Schools by 3.9% and by 4.6% in English Language Arts on average. The same study revealed that children enrolled in choice programs demonstrated greater proficiency than those in traditional public school by 3.05%.
Further, scholars in the School Choice Demonstration Project (SCDP) applied state-of-the-art matching methods to compare students in the MPCP with students in MPS who were similar in neighborhood, race, and prior achievement. Among the findings from this matching analysis are that students in the MPCP were 4-7 percentage points more likely to graduate from high school. Moreover, students in the MPCP were found to achieve higher scores in reading, though similar scores in math.
Students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program are also more likely to graduate from college. Dr. Will Flanders posits that expanding the Parental Choice Program could lead to substantial economic gains for our state. He estimates that Madison could see $100 million in economic benefits, $75 million for Green Bay, $60 million for Appleton and $24 million for La Crosse.
Other findings from the SCDP, not related to academic achievement, show that students in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program have lower incidences of criminal behavior and extensive economic benefits. These programs save taxpayers money and in general provide a better return on their tax investment.
Right now, our Choice Programs are limited to individuals with certain incomes, in some cases those with certain zip codes, and also by enrollment caps. It’s time to lift all of those limitations, and Assembly Bill 970 does that.
It’s time to give all parents, regardless of income or zip code or number of people in their school district, an opportunity to choose the best school for their child.
Education isn’t just about today; it’s about tomorrow—and expanding the Choice Programs means good things for Wisconsin’s future.
Our state’s Parental Choice Programs have been tried and tested now over many years. Studies continue to show students in these programs are, on average, certainly performing no worse than their public-school counterparts and in many cases, are performing not just better, but significantly better. It’s time to give this opportunity to all parents across our state.
Parents alone are responsible for the education of their children. The more educational options parents have, the better, as they seek what is best for their children.
Use this link to find your state legislators and urge them to pass this bill and support parents and school choice in Wisconsin!
Feb 15, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Gov. Tony Evers plans to give Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc., another $1 million in COVID relief funding. This is the second time our governor has used COVID relief funds to award Planned Parenthood with a massive sum of taxpayer dollars. Instead of helping families who have been affected by the pandemic, Evers is choosing to support abortionists.
The most recent funding is part of the governor’s “Equitable Recovery Grants,” which allocates $82 million to various parts of the state. He’s chosen to use this money in ways that have nothing to do with COVID but do pander to his liberal supporters.
Because of this, many Republican policymakers are skeptical of Evers’ motives. “It’s such a brazen political giveaway at this point I don’t know what else there is to say, other than Gov. Evers would rather give $1 million to the state’s largest abortionist as opposed to law enforcement or any number of ways he could be helping kids,” said Senator André Jacque.
Some speculate that this is a campaign strategy, as Planned Parenthood has consistently supported Evers and his Democratic colleagues. Planned Parenthood Advocates spent over $700,000 in 2018 and 2019 to help elect Evers and other Democrats.
Evers’ loyalty clearly lies with Planned Parenthood, not his constituents.
The governor has vetoed every pro-life bill that we’ve given him, and has promised to “veto any legislation” that decreases access to abortion. Twice he even dismissed a bill that would require doctors to care for babies born alive after botched abortions.
Evers has been staunchly pro-abortion since day one, causing serious harm to our state. The good news is that this year is a gubernatorial election year, and we have the power to make a change. Our governor seat will be up for grabs on November 8th, and by exercising our civic duty, we can begin to transform Wisconsin into a state that values all life.
While we await our opportunity to elect a pro-life governor this fall, we can still vouch for the unborn and work to pass vital pro-life legislation.
Earlier this month, the Senate held a hearing on Senate Bill 923, a crucial piece of pro-life legislation that would prohibit abortion after a baby’s heartbeat can be detected.
This bill highlights the humanity of every unborn child and would save thousands of babies every year.
Contact your state senator and state representative and urge them to support Senate Bill 923. (Put your address in the search space at the top right of the page.)
Wisconsin families and the unborn deserve better. Let’s seize our opportunity this year to change the landscape in Wisconsin through our spring and fall elections. It’s time to elect a governor who is committed to helping families thrive and protecting the most vulnerable.
Please pray that Wisconsin is transformed culturally and legislatively so that every life is valued and protected.
Feb 11, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Schools across the country seem to be hyper-focused on race and sexuality. Most recently, a Rhode Island private school told its students not to send Valentine’s Day cards that showed only white people or perpetuated gender “stereotypes.”
Parents received guidelines from Moses Brown Lower School stating, “Please coach your child if purchasing commercially produced cards to select something that does not feel ‘gender normative’ (with separate ‘boy cards’ vs. ‘girl cards,’ for instance.) Also, consider talking to your child about avoiding cards that portray only White human characters.”
Parents have understandably expressed their frustration with these guidelines and with the school’s culture as a whole. “Why does my four year old tell me the teacher said that someday she might want to marry another girl?” said one parent. Moses Brown often promotes progressive ideology about transgenderism and sexual identity. The school even hosts a Gender Sexuality Alliance club.
Stories like this one are becoming extremely common around the country, and even in Wisconsin. Children are inundated with harmful lies about race and gender. They are taught to view one another based on these immutable characteristics, rather than as individual children lovingly created by God. Many public schools, and sadly even some private schools, cannot be trusted to educate our children and act in their best interest.
This is why Wisconsin Family Action is working to pass vital legislation and combat the evil ideas that children are learning in school.
We are actively working to support the “Help Not Harm Act,” which is essential for children who are suffering from gender dysphoria in Wisconsin. The bill protects children who are confused about their biological sex by protecting them from harmful drugs and mutilation surgeries, which the left affirm are part of “tolerance.” This couldn’t be further from the truth.
What these children need is the exact opposite of what their schools are teaching them. They need the truth about God’s design, not affirmation of the lies they believe about themselves.
Schools here in Wisconsin are not only feeding children harmful lies about their sexuality, but are even hiding information from parents.
The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) published a policy stating that children are allowed to “transition” to a different gender at school and teachers are prohibited from telling parents. It even indicates that school staff should lie to parents about how their children are presenting in school.
Similarly, Kettle Moraine School District’s gender identity policy allows children to “change” their gender identity at school without parental consent. Again, employees are prohibited from sharing this important information with parents and even instructed to override parents’ objections.
Thankfully, our good friends at Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty and the Alliance Defending Freedom filed lawsuits challenging both of these policies, and they are now before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Just this week, we testified in support of the newly introduced “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” Assembly Bill 963, a bill that lays out 15 specific parents’ rights when it comes to their children. Several of these rights are specific to education and schools. One says parents have “[t]he right to determine the names and pronouns used for the child while at school.” A number of parents spoke at the hearing as well, supporting the bill and noting that too often their voice and their rights are either ignored or infringed.
Please pray for the success of the “Help Not Harm Act,” the “Parents’ Bill of Rights,” and favorable outcomes in these two Supreme Court cases.
Parental rights and the well-being of our children are under attack. We must be diligent in overseeing our children’s education and demand and be part of necessary change when our schools espouse dangerous ideas. Few things are more important than the education of the next generation, and it’s up to us to hold our school officials accountable.
Of course, the very best situation for children is to be brought up in the homes of their married biological or adopted fathers and mothers. Marriage is good for kids! So, as we near the end of National Marriage Week, it’s important we promote marriage and family as God designed it, as well asGod’s design for human sexuality and raise our children to believe and know that they were created in His image.
Feb 9, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
The Senate yesterday held a hearing on Senate Bill 923, a crucial piece of pro-life legislation that Wisconsin Family Action is excited to support. Read our testimony HERE. (We do have one issue with this bill—an unnecessary exception. See our testimony to read more about that.)
The Wisconsin Heartbeat Bill prohibits abortion after a baby’s heartbeat is detected and ultimately aims to highlight the humanity of every child in the womb. The heartbeat can usually be detected at around six weeks gestation.
This bill is much like the Heartbeat Bill that recently became law in Texas. Our bill contains the same provision as the Texas law that allows ordinary citizens to sue the provider if they have proof that the provider has violated the heartbeat law.
Wisconsin currently has four free-standing abortion facilities; two in Milwaukee, one in Madison and a new facility in Sheboygan. These providers are subject to an ultrasound law, which requires abortion providers to show patients an ultrasound of their baby before they perform an abortion. We also have a 20-week abortion ban in place.
While these are great starts, it’s vital that we respect and protect life as early as possible, which means at least banning abortion after a heartbeat is detected. It’s abundantly clear that an unborn child with a heartbeat is fully human (and we believe this is true from the moment of conception).
Texas Right to Life estimates that between 10,000 and 13,000 preborn human babies have been saved since the heartbeat law went into effect on September 1, 2021. They estimate the law is saving at least 100 lives every day.
CNBC reported that Texas’ heartbeat bill has effectively stopped most abortions in the state by empowering citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion after a heartbeat is detected for at least $10,000. This is a monumental achievement for the pro-life movement in Texas that we now have the opportunity to accomplish in Wisconsin.
Unfortunately, Texas’ ban has faced many legal challenges. It’s currently the matter of at least one lawsuit. The US Supreme Court ruled in December to allow a federal lawsuit by abortion providers against Texas’ heartbeat bill to proceed. Thankfully, the bill has remained in effect while its constitutionality is being challenged.
If Senate Bill 923 is passed, we expect to face similar legal challenges. However, saving just one life would be worth it; and we know that this bill can save thousands.
We are also hopeful that the Supreme Court will soon overturn Roe v. Wade, which would certainly help mitigate any legal challenges we may face in implementing this life-saving law. And actually, if Roe is overturned, then this bill is unnecessary.
The heartbeat is universally accepted as an indicator of life, yet we don’t apply this principle to the unborn. It’s time to change that.
Please contact your state senator and state representative (put your address in the search area at the top right) and urge them to support Senate Bill 923. Please also pray for the success of this bill and for our state and nation to finally recognize the humanity of the unborn.
Feb 4, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Marriage is a sacred institution designed by God for our well-being. It contributes greatly to the overall health of a man and woman and allows for prosperous, well-ordered societies to thrive.
A major survey of over 120,000 American adults shows that married men are healthier overall and live longer than men who were never married or are divorced. For women, marriage provides security and a safe environment to raise children, who ultimately provide both spouses with life-long fulfillment. Further, married couples also have happier, healthier relationships than cohabiting couples.
Unfortunately, marriage is on the decline in our country. A recent Pew poll shows that only 34% of U.S. adults believe society is better off if “people make marriage and having children a priority,” while 64% believe society is “just as well off if people have priorities other than marriage and children.” As we know, these beliefs are woefully misguided, and our country is experiencing the consequences of a lack of strong families headed by married dads and moms..
The good news is that we can be part of reversing this trend.
At Wisconsin Family Council (WFC) and Wisconsin Family Action (WFA), we fiercely advocate for and defend God’s plan for marriage in our state. We believe that part of protecting marriage for the next generation is giving them inspiring examples of marriages that honor God and, by His grace, stand the test of time.
WFC is looking to promote and encourage healthy marriages by honoring Wisconsin’s longest married couple! We want to share this couple’s story and celebrate their life-long commitment to marriage and family.
The top-5 longest married couples will be honored by being entered into the 2022 Wisconsin Family Council Marriage Hall of Fame.
The application requires answering just 5 questions and submitting 1-2 photos. CLICK HERE to submit your entry. The deadline for entries is Thursday, February 17.
We look forward to hearing your stories and celebrating our most important institution!
Thank you to our friend Gene Mills of Louisiana Family Forum for inspiring Wisconsin’s version of the Marriage Hall of Fame.
Feb 2, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
February 7-14 marks National Marriage Week, and it provides us an opportunity to reflect on the irreplaceable value of marriage and family.
Marriage is a sacred institution gifted to us by God, and it alone makes prosperous, well-ordered societies possible.
Unfortunately, many in our country do not understand the institution’s importance. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that only 34 percent of adults in the U.S. believe our country is better off if “people make marriage and having children a priority,” while 64 percent believe it is “just as well off if people have priorities other than marriage and children.”
While fewer Americans are getting married, we are also beginning to see the family deteriorate as more couples simply aren’t having children. In 2020, our country’s birth rate fell for the sixth year in a row and hit the lowest rate recorded. Wisconsin has been below replacement birth rate since 1974. (p. 18 of WFC’s Cultural Indicators 2019 Edition)
It’s vitally important that every American understands the value of marriage and family. No act of government can replace its role in society. Families instill children with morals, discipline, values, crucial skills, and civic virtues. They are every society’s foundational institution—by God’s good and grand design. When that foundation is weak, a society is weak.
The traditional family unit is the bedrock of society, and the well-being of our churches, communities, state, and country is directly related to the strength of our families. Marriage was intended by God to promote human flourishing, and we suffer immensely when we deviate from His plan.
As Christians, we have the opportunity to show the world why marriage and children are so essential and fulfilling. Our churches and families need to honor and celebrate marriages, cheer when babies are born, model strong and godly marriages, and talk positively about marriage.
We must also elect representatives who understand the importance of marriage and family and will promote its well-being in all policies.
Lastly, we must fight back against each societal ill that threatens the family, including rampant individualism, progressive sexual ideology, divorce, the devaluation of children, the attack on parental rights, and much more. Every attack on the family is an attack on our country as a whole.
We have the power, and the duty, to influence the culture in a positive way and reestablish the primacy of God’s plan for the family—a man and a woman united in a lifelong, monogamous marriage relationship and the biological and/or adopted children God blesses them with..
Please pray for our national and Wisconsin leaders to once again cherish and value the institution of marriage and for couples to form strong, Christ-centered families.
Jan 28, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
The “Help Not Harm Act” was formally introduced in the legislature this week, and we believe the bill is essential for children suffering from gender dysphoria in Wisconsin. The bill is authored by Senator André Jacque and Representative Scott Allen. They are joined by two other senators and nine other representatives as co-authors and co-sponsors.
The bill helps children who are confused about their biological sex by protecting them from harmful drugs and surgeries. It prohibits physicians and healthcare providers from facilitating any gender transition procedure to minors and also prohibits these providers from referring a minor to any other healthcare provider for a gender transition procedure.
A small but growing number of children are struggling to embrace their biological sex and believe that they were born in the wrong body. What these children need is real help, not affirmation of the lies they believe about themselves. However, in recent years, politicized medical organizations have pushed for invasive, harmful forms of “treatment” that can include off-label use of puberty blockers, administration of cross-sex hormones above naturally occurring levels, and even surgery.
Research shows the vast majority of these children will eventually come to reconcile with their biological sex. Given this reality, drastic and harmful interventions with lifelong consequences are even more concerning. By offering them life-altering treatments instead of talk therapy or other means of working through their distress, we are harming rather than helping them. There are numerous stories of people who later regret these interventions but are tragically stuck living with the consequences. Why would we encourage harmful interventions with lifelong, negative consequences for children?
These treatments have been proven to cause long-term, irreversible harm to minors. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, cross-sex hormone risks for biological females include irreversible infertility, severe liver dysfunction, and coronary artery disease including heart attacks, hypertension and more. The cross-sex hormone risks for biological males include irreversible infertility, blood clots, and coronary artery disease including heart attacks, Type 2 diabetes and more. These treatments violate the first duty of medicine: do not harm. Puberty blockers also come with long-term negative consequences.
We also know that surgeries and drugs do not heal a hurting heart. Research shows people pursuing transition frequently have underlying or co-occurring mental health issues. In fact, “[s] 2014 study found 62.7% of patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria had at least one co-occurring disorder, and 33% were found to have major depressive disorders, which are linked to suicide ideation.” Once again, children suffering with this disorder need help, not harm.
Time and experience have taught us that young people do not have the mental faculties to make such substantial decisions. This “Help Not Harm Act” ensures that children can access real help rather than permanent harm from surgeries and drugs.
Please contact your state representative and state senator and urge them to pass this bill. Contact information for your elected officials is HERE. (Just put your address in the area at the top right.) Too many healthcare providers are acting recklessly, violating God’s design, and prioritizing ideology over the well-being of children. We must fulfill our duty and protect these children.
Jan 26, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a lawsuit last June challenging the legality of absentee ballot drop boxes after the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) encouraged the use of absentee ballot drop boxes and told voters that anyone could return their ballot for them. Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren recently determined that absentee ballot drop boxes and ballot harvesting are illegal in Wisconsin. He also ruled that the WEC’s guidance in 2020 on absentee ballot drop boxes should have gone through the rules process.
“There are just two legal methods to cast an absentee ballot in Wisconsin: through the mail or in-person at a clerk’s office. And voters must return their own ballots. We are pleased the court made this clear, providing Wisconsin voters with certainty for forthcoming elections,” said WILL Deputy Counsel Luke Berg.
Unfortunately, earlier this week a state appeals court overruled Judge Bohren and ordered that absentee voter ballot boxes be available for this spring’s primary election on Tuesday, February 15. The three-judge appeals court panel said to change the law at this point would disrupt an election already in process. WILL has not yet indicated whether they will petition the Wisconsin Supreme Court as the next step, but we anticipate that they will.
The Bohren ruling on absentee ballots would help clarify election integrity issues as we head into a year filled with critical elections. Spring nonpartisan elections will occur in April, with the primary on February 15, and fall partisan elections will occur in November, with that primary on Tuesday, August 9. In the fall, our Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer, Secretary of State, one U.S. Senate seat, all 8 Congressional seats, all 99 of our State Assembly seats, and half of our state Senate seats (odd-numbered districts) are on the ballot.
Judge Bohren’s ruling is a step in the right direction as we work to combat election fraud and restore public trust in our electoral procedures. It’s unfortunate that the appeals court overruled him. As the last few elections have proven, many Americans have little faith in the integrity of our elections. To make matters worse, Democrats in Washington have been working to remove common-sense election laws. Their efforts pose a threat to our nation as a whole, as our democracy and freedom are dependent on fair and just elections.
Americans must also be confident that their voice matters in order to appropriately engage in our Republic. This is why the state should do everything in its power to instill confidence within voters that every fraudulently cast vote does not count and that every legally cast vote does
Clearing up the issues of absentee ballot drop boxes and ballot harvesting in Wisconsin is extremely important, especially since the current governor has vetoed every election reform bill the Republican-controlled state legislature has put on his desk.
The surest way for liberal progressives to take over is for conservatives to get so discouraged by the possibility of election fraud that they don’t vote. We cannot hand our state or our country over to the left without a fight. Transparent, secure, and reliable elections are a vital part of our representative Republic. In order to safeguard our government of the people, by the people, and for the people, we must demand election integrity and ensure that election laws are clear and just.
Jan 21, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
January 23-29 marks National School Choice week, “the world’s largest celebration of opportunity in education,” according to National School Choice Week (NSCW). Hundreds of schools will spend the week celebrating choice in education. Wisconsin is one of the nation’s leaders in school choice – but we need to work to keep it that way.
Defending school choice in our state is vital to both Wisconsin families and the nation at large. Many public schools have become corrupt and untrustworthy as Critical Race Theory infiltrates the classroom, stories emerge of activist teaching, and some schools shut down due to COVID again and again. Further, many teachers do not respect parental rights and even hide information from parents. Many parents are eager to pull their children out of public school and look for alternative options.
NSCW recently conducted a survey showing that parents are unhappy with the schools that their children currently attend. More than half of parents said they had considered or are considering alternative schooling options for their children. Further, 84.7% agreed that parents must be able to send their children to the schools that best meet their needs, including “traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, online public schools, private schools, and homeschooling.”
Happily, in Wisconsin, parents have reasonable options for the education of their children. Within the public school world, parents can choose the school in the district where they live, or they can opt for open enrollment and enroll in a school in a different district, with some exceptions. Still under the public school umbrella are charter schools and virtual charter schools.
Moving from public schools to private schools, Wisconsin offers the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the Racine Parental Choice Program and the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program—all of which are part of what most people call the “voucher school” option. These programs allow income-qualified families to send their children to private schools participating in Choice (voucher) Programs. Parents can apply to be part of a school choice program. Registration begins in February for Wisconsin’s Choice Programs. Of particular note is that at least one school in the Choice Program, Academy of Excellent, now offers a virtual option for parents that qualify for the vouchers.
Wisconsin also has some of the best homeschooling laws in the country. Parents are encouraged to homeschool and are not burdened by overbearing restrictions as they are in some states.
While Wisconsin is leading the nation in educational opportunities, we have more to do. We need universal choice in Wisconsin. Incomes and zip codes should not determine who gets to take advantage of our educational options. Our current governor is no fan of school choice, believing the only good school is a public school. Until we change our governor, we won’t have any expansion in school choice.
This is an issue that should concern more than just parents, but our entire community. Education holds immense power. It shapes our children, thereby molding the future of our country. In many schools across the country, however, the responsibility of educating our children has been put in the wrong hands. Ultimately, it is the parents’ right and duty to educate their children. It’s also a God-given responsibility; we must be vigilant stewards of our children and their education. Wisconsin Family Action will continue to champion school choice to ensure that should one educational option fail a child, his or her parents can responsibly choose another schooling option.
NSCW’s website offers a variety of resources that teachers, parents, and organizations can use to promote and support school choice. SchoolChoiceWi.org is also a fantastic resource for parents in Wisconsin exploring alternative schooling options.
We encourage everyone to use this week as an opportunity to share this important information about school choice in Wisconsin with your family and friends, and let’s resolve to be even better stewards of our children’s and grandchildren’s education.
Jan 19, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to hear a case involving parental rights and challenging the gender identity policy in Madison schools. Our good friends at Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) and our excellent national partner Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit on behalf of a group of parents challenging the Madison Metropolitan School District’s (MMSD) published policy that basically says parents aren’t to know what their child is doing at school when it comes to gender identity. The policy goes so far as to indicate school personnel should lie to parents if necessary. This is simply outrageous.
The state’s high court will review the partial injunction the circuit court put on the implementation of the policy and will determine the degree to which the parents can remain anonymous. As you can imagine, anonymity is critical in a case of this nature.
Meanwhile, WILL and ADF also has sued the Kettle Moraine School District (KMSD) for a very similar reason. KMSD’s gender identity policy allows children to “change” their gender identity at school without parental consent. The policy also prohibits district employees from notifying parents of their child’s transition and even instructs staff to override a parent’s objection. In this case, at least one parent called and asked the school to call a daughter by her given feminine name and to use only feminine pronouns. The school refused. Amazing. By the way, this case started with this parent calling us and asking what she could do. We immediately put her in touch with WILL.
In the Madison School District case, a Dane County Circuit Court Judge issued a partial injunction that prohibits the district from requiring staff to hide information from parents or answer untruthfully to their questions. However, the injunction still allows minors to change their gender identity at school without parental consent. Now, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will soon hear this case and determine whether the judge’s injunction goes far enough and to what degree the parents bringing the lawsuit can remain anonymous.
Both MMSD and KMSD (and we are sure many, many other WI school districts) are encouraging educators—who know their students much less than those students’ parents do—
to push children to make a life-altering decision without the input of those who care for them most. The district is even disregarding medical professionals who warn of the long-term effects associated with transitioning at a young age. It’s clear that the district is prioritizing ideology over parental rights and children’s well-being.
“Parents’ rights to direct the upbringing, education, and mental health treatment of their children is one of the most basic constitutional rights every parent holds dear. Yet we are seeing more and more school districts across the country not only ignoring parents’ concerns, but actively working against them,” said director of the ADF Center for Parental Rights Kate Anderson.
She is absolutely right. The Constitution protects parents’ rights, especially with something as serious as a child’s gender identity, and we must demand that schools respect that right.
Parents are not only the primary stakeholders in their children’s education, they must be the primary decision makers for their children. Not only is it their right, but only they know what is best for their children. Schools across the country, however, are intent on sidestepping parents and “raising” children themselves. This means students are being indoctrinated with dangerous progressive ideology and encouraged to act in accordance with it.
We cannot afford to let our school districts get away with these harmful policies and power grabs. The development and well-being of our children is at stake. As we now know, administrators are willing to partake in deception and manipulation to control our children.
What Parents Should Do (and all concerned citizens!)
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- Have age-appropriate conversations with their children about the boundaries their school educators and administrators should abide by and encourage them to speak up in the face of indoctrination. Be a safe place for their children; encourage them to talk to the parents about what is happening at school.
- Engage in the upcoming spring elections. Every school district in the state will have races on the ballot. Sample ballots and other election information should be available in the next week at wi.gov. At a minimum, find out who the conservative candidates are and be sure to vote for them—and encourage others to do the same.
- Explore Wisconsin’s multiple educational options for parents. https://dpi.wi.gov/families-students/programs-initiatives/school-choice. Application window opens in February for several of these options.
- Please pray that these cases (MMSD & KMSD) are decided justly, and that further legislation is introduced to protect parental rights.
Together, we can save our children. Thank you for partnering with us in this worthy endeavor!
Jan 14, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Parents have faced disgraceful backlash from our own government leaders for doing their duty and standing up for their children. Last year, the NSBA likened parents to “domestic terrorists” after they spoke out against problems like Critical Race Theory (CRT) infiltrating schools. While the NSBA’s letter was alarming by itself, a newly released email reveals that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona actually solicited this letter from the NSBA. Many parents are now doubly disturbed – and rightfully so.
Parents have awakened to the corruption in our education system, and they are fighting back. Progressive activism in the Badger State is being countered by rational parents who are just sticking up for their kids.
Kylee Zempel, writing for The Federalist, reported earlier this week on a recent town hall meeting in Wisconsin attended by many upset parents. Topics discussed included Critical Race Theory (CRT), leftist teaching, school closures, and mask mandates. The meeting was organized by Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who is running against Democrat Gov. Tony Evers this fall. Kleefisch told those in attendance that they must become activists and combat the liberal insanity that is controlling our schools and influencing our children.
Many parents have painfully watched their children suffer while their schools refused to do in-person instruction for long periods of time. Students had a horrible year academically in 2020-21. Many struggled with virtual learning and fell behind. They also suffered socially and emotionally. Even after schools reopened, many healthy students were required to stay home and quarantine for up to ten days after being exposed, often without any at-home instruction. These lockdowns and quarantines ultimately did more harm than good, and now parents are fed up.
After watching their children’s GPA plummet during the lockdowns, some parents have decided to remove their children from the public school system entirely. Couple this with parents being upset by finding inappropriate materials in both physical and digital school libraries, boys being allowed in the girls’ bathrooms, and ideas such as CRT being taught, and you have parents looking for alternatives and making decisions to make a difference in their own school districts.
Here are three things you can do to make a difference in all this.
1. Get involved in the elections. Our spring nonpartisan elections are right around the corner. The primary is February 15 and the general April 5. This is when we elect school board members. Find out who the conservative candidates are in your district. Help them get elected. Call and find out what they need, and then step up and get busy. Encourage others to join you. Build an effective local army!
By Tuesday, January 25, you can find out who is on your ballot HERE. But don’t wait that long. Check with your municipal clerk right away. Check with friends and neighbors who stay up on local politics. Because these elections are typically low-voter-turnout elections, even just a little help can put a candidate over the finish line. Be part of the solution in your own backyard!
2. Consider educational options. The window for applying for and registering for one of our state’s educational options opens in February. If you have children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews in schools that are failing in any way, consider the options carefully, including vouchers, home-schooling and more. . You can find information about all the options, along with application materials and deadlines, HERE.
3. Pray for wisdom. Ask God what He wants you to do to make a difference. Pray for the good candidates running. Pray for the protection of students.
Parents and concerned citizens have a right to be angry about what has happened and is continuing to happen to our children in government schools. But that anger needs to be channeled and needs to be productive. Now is the time to make a real and a positive difference—for the children.
Wisconsin Family Action stands ready to help in any way we can. Call us at 888-378-7395 or email us at info@wifamilyaction.org.
Jan 12, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
National Religious Freedom Day is this Sunday, January 16th. This day was established to celebrate our ability to freely exercise our religious liberty since our country’s inception. Unfortunately, this freedom is now under attack in America, even from our own government. Between tyrannical vaccine mandates and other discriminatory practices, our rights have been severely compromised. We are hopeful, however, that the US Supreme Court will make sound decisions in a couple of critical religious freedom cases.
Ironically, just two days after National Religious Freedom Day, on January 18, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Shurtleff v. Boston. The question at hand is whether the City of Boston violated a Christian organization’s right to free speech by disallowing Camp Constitution to temporarily raise its flag on the City Hall flagpoles. The City had previously allowed private organizations to raise 284 flags. The Commissioner of Boston’s Property Management Department claimed that the City’s policy was to avoid flying religious flags in adherence to the First Amendment’s prohibition of government-established religion. Religious freedom, however, was never meant to be interpreted as shielding the public from any mention of religion.
Generally, the government is supposed to be viewpoint neutral, which means if the flag represents the speech of Camp Constitution, then the Camp and religious freedom should prevail. If the court determines that the flags on the flagpole represent the City of Boston’s speech, then the outcome may be different. We are hopeful the Court will recognize and uphold Camp Constitution’s right to free speech.
Wisconsin Family Action is actively fighting for religious liberty. Just last week, we signed onto an amicus brief filed to the US Supreme Court with regard to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) nationwide vaccine mandate. The brief states that unelected administrative agencies such as OSHA tend to neglect religious freedom by viewing it as “an afterthought, an inconvenience that stands in the way of their desired policy.” Religious liberty is foundational to our nation – not an afterthought.
Further, the brief notes that OSHA bypassed the traditional lawmaking process through state legislatures. Unaccountable government agencies circumvent legislatures too often, as OSHA has done here. Ultimately, OSHA’s mandate causes “indirect coercion [that] contradicts fundamental religious autonomy principles.” The Court heard oral arguments for this case this past Friday, January 7th, and we are now awaiting their decision.
Religious freedom must be non-negotiable. This right is a bedrock of our country and a necessity for human flourishing. On Religious Freedom Sunday, let’s pray for the preservation of this essential right in the United States. Putting our prayer and faith to action, we must also continue doing everything we can in the culture and in every level of government to stand up, show up, and speak up for our “First Freedom.”
Jan 7, 2022 | Legislation, News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Senate Bill 250 is making some headlines in Wisconsin with some very enthusiastic supporters, but a significant level of caution is warranted for this piece of legislation.
SB 250 (and its Assembly companion AB 244) seeks to radically alter the election process for members of Congress and U.S. Senators in Wisconsin. It would ultimately make it more difficult for conservative candidates to win elections in our state. Additionally, it would shift the focus during elections from issues to money and name recognition, which often results in less qualified candidates taking office. A public hearing for the bill was held just before Christmas, but the Senate Committee on Elections has not yet voted on the bill. The Assembly hasn’t taken any action to date on the proposal.
This bill removes the partisan primaries for Congress and the U.S. Senate and replaces them with an open primary. Currently in Wisconsin, we have partisan primaries, meaning each party gets a chance to select one candidate for the general election. In this new proposed system, however, every candidate running for office would be in the same pool, and the top five vote earners would move on to the general election. That means that multiple Republicans and Democrats could, and certainly would, land on the final ballot in November.
The bill also implements something called “Final Five voting” in the general election. On election day, under this bill, voters would be asked to rank their choices for Congress and U.S. Senate from their first choice to their fifth (but ranking all five is not required). After the votes are counted, if no candidate has over 50% of the vote, whoever has the fewest votes would be removed. Votes that had gone to the eliminated candidate would then go to a given voter’s second choice candidate. If there is still no candidate with more than 50% of the vote, the process is repeated until there is.
The Final Five voting system isn’t necessarily complicated, but it can be confusing because it’s so different from the way we have always conducted elections in Wisconsin. To make matters worse, if passed, this bill would apply to this year’s elections. It’s a tall order to get the whole state on the same page that quickly. In addition, the cost of restructuring the voting system is also of major concern. Maine uses a similar system for a few elected offices, and their taxpayers have to pay nearly another half a million dollars per election to make this system work. Wisconsin has four times the population of Maine; so it stands to reason that our cost would be much higher than Maine’s.
Additionally, this type of election system is ripe for manipulation and election tampering.
Because of the complexity of this system, it would likely take weeks to determine who actually won the election. Beyond that, we’ve already seen how hard it is to keep the ballot safe, secure and properly counted for one night. Imagine the antics that dishonest vote counters could pull if we allow the counting to extend over a period of weeks.
Right now is a terrible time to further erode our faith in our electoral system. Wisconsin Family Action firmly opposes Senate Bill 250/Assembly Bill 244.
