Abortion issue drives get-out-the-vote efforts in Wisconsin Supreme Court race

Advocates on both sides turn to phone calls, texts and rallies to turn out voters for pivotal April 4 election

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Sarah Godlewski says she likes to call it “an ‘M & M’ weekend.” 

“We start in Milwaukee on Saturday, and then we do Madison on Sunday.”

Godlewski, recently appointed as Wisconsin secretary of state, is talking about the rallies planned this weekend by Women Win Wisconsin PAC, the group she founded in 2022 to engage pro-choice voters. 

The two rallies, part of a series of events held around the state over the last month, are focused on getting out the vote for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, which is on the April 4 ballot. Women Win Wisconsin PAC partnered with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, Fair Wisconsin, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Progress, Medical Students for Choice, SEIU, Human Rights Campaign and Family Friendly Action PAC to execute the “Rally for our Rights Tour.” 

Analiese Eicher, a consultant for public affairs at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, says the uncertain future of abortion access in Wisconsin has sparked volunteer engagement all across the state. She says she has watched people from all walks of life — students, mothers, pastors and healthcare workers — step up to participate in get-out-the-vote efforts ahead of the April 4 election.

“I think [the election] has been incredibly motivating for folks and we've gotten a ton of interest,” says Eicher, a Dane County board supervisor. “People who've never engaged before are coming out and wanting to volunteer, talk to their friends and talk to their families and show up, rally and vote, and it's incredibly powerful.”

Godlewski says she has also seen a new push from people in the medical community to help with pro-choice efforts. Unlike in the past, doctors, nurses and medical students are actively seeking ways to be involved and speaking at the rallies. 

“They’re saying, ‘politicians have no business making laws about science and it is coming at the detriment of my ability to save lives,’” Godlewski says. “That has been something that's been really encouraging — seeing this whole new kind of group.”

This nationally watched election could shift the ideological balance on the seven-member court, which currently has a 4-3 conservative majority, and determine the future of abortion rights in the state. Former Justice Daniel Kelly, a conservative, and Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal, are running for the seat. 

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Wisconsin’s 1849 criminal abortion statute went into effect. A lawsuit challenging the criminal ban is likely to reach the state Supreme Court after the election. 

Protasiewicz, in her first TV ad, promised to protect women’s “freedom to make our own decisions when it comes to abortion.” Kelly, while saying he does not take a stance on issues, has written that abortion “has as its primary purpose harming children.” 

Anti-abortion groups, including Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro Life Wisconsin, have endorsed Kelly, while pro-choice groups including Planned Parenthood and Emily's List have endorsed Protasiewicz. Planned Parenthood has said it plans to spend $1 million on Protasiewicz’s campaign, according to the Wisconsin State Journal, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America announced March 23 it was spending $2 million through Women Speak Out PAC for canvassing, digital ads and TV ads supporting Kelly. “Women Speak Out PAC’s seven-figure investment is the most the group has committed in any state supreme court race to date,” the group said in a news release. “The organization previously invested six figures in the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary in February.”

Women Win Wisconsin says on its website that it is “working hard to make sure Judge Janet is elected to the 10-year swing seat on our Supreme Court — not an anti-choice extremist. The justice that wins in April will be the deciding vote on abortion access, fair maps and voting rights cases that come before the court.”

Gracie Skogman, the legislative and PAC director at Wisconsin Right to Life, says the group has activated their grassroots volunteer network to help get-out-the-vote efforts.

Volunteers at Wisconsin Right to Life have been making thousands of live phone calls, hand-stuffing nearly 10,000 mailers, handing out candidate comparisons and participating in a statewide texting program. Thanks to this high volume of volunteers, the group will have made over 90,000 unique voter contacts by election day, says Skogman.

Likewise, Planned Parenthood’s Eicher says lots of young people and new volunteers are helping to host postcard parties, where they write personalized postcards reminding people to vote. Planned Parenthood has also hired eight additional organizers for this spring election.

The focus of the team’s work is “organizing on college campuses and in communities in Milwaukee, Eau Claire, Madison, La Crosse, Green Bay, Racine and Kenosha,” says Eicher. But, she adds, the target is “less an area, but more a demographic — we prioritize talking to young people, people of color, and women.”

Cedar Hayes, project director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, was at a table on Library Mall at UW-Madison March 28, handing out Planned Parenthood pins, pens and lanyards and encouraging students to sign a physical or virtual “Pledge to Vote!” form. Hayes also encouraged the UW students to send the pledge link to their peers. 

As in the 2020 presidential election and 2022 midterms, students will likely be key to the outcome of the April 4 election.

Skogman says Wisconsin Right to Life has seen the largest amount of Gen Z volunteers this election cycle than ever before.

“We've been doing get-out-the-vote activation dates at our state office in Milwaukee and the vast majority of the volunteers coming in are high school students, college students and Gen Z,” Skogman says. “They have been the backbone of our effort.”

The group has focused its efforts on contrasting the two candidates, adds Skogman.

“We create candidate comparisons ahead of every election, and those are just education-based, so it is showing in their own words how the candidates feel on pro-life issues,” Skogman says. “We'll highlight their own quotes, we'll highlight groups that may be supporting either candidate, and then that is what we provide to our student groups or our chapters across the state to use to educate on this issue.”

Eicher says many college and high school students understand the implications of the election and have reached out to Planned Parenthood to learn how to vote and further engage with get-out-the-vote initiatives.

“We're doing a lot of education, but we're also getting a lot of organic engagement from students who have heard one thing or another and are interested in having further conversations with our Planned Parenthood organizers,” Eicher says.

Godlewski says she’s been inspired by the turnout at the rallies. More than 200 people showed up in Eau Claire March 19 despite the freezing weather, and there was high turnout at rallies in La Crosse and Green Bay as well. 

“It’s been really encouraging to see the breadth and depth of particular first-time Wisconsinites that are taking an activist role in their community, and exercising not just their right to vote, but their ability to help communicate and educate others,” Godlewski says. 

While her new position as secretary of state means she is no longer the organizer of the events, Godlewski still speaks at the rallies.

“[My new position] doesn't change my commitment or anger with having fewer rights than my mother and my grandmother,” Godlewski says. “I have to continue to do whatever I can in my spare time to fight for reproductive freedom, because if they can take away the rights of half the population today, what's next?”