Millennial voters in Wisconsin may understandably be confused by Gov. Walker’s recent rebranding as the “Education Candidate.” Over his two terms in office, Walker consistently underfunded our schools with budgets well below the amounts requested by state Superintendent Tony Evers, who aims to unseat Walker on Nov. 6. This same divergence of policy from campaign rhetoric can be seen in Walker’s track record on infrastructure funding and expanding rural broadband access, all resulting in a break from Wisconsin’s proud progressive past.
I’d rather look toward the future of progressive politics in Wisconsin, however, than dwell on the past. For millennials, our path forward begins at the polls.
According to voter registration data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission and 2016 Census data, only half of Wisconsin residents ages 18 to 34 are registered to vote while close to 86 percent of those 50 and older are on the rolls. The harsh reality is that millennials cannot change policies or hold elected officials accountable if apathy and frustration keep us from voting.
As young progressive candidates such as Beto O’Rourke and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tap into voters’ desire for a less divisive politics, Wisconsinites are replicating these grassroots campaign models that resonate with millennials. In an election season with an unprecedented number of women running for office, Kriss Marion (District 17) and Lee Snodgrass (District 19) are running campaigns for Republican-held senate seats in counties that voted Obama in 2008 and 2012 but went for Trump in 2016. These “pivot-counties” provide a key opportunity to challenge the status quo in our Capitol, where Democrats need to flip only two seats to win back the state Senate. From Blanchardville to Appleton, this new style of progressive politics demonstrates the appeal of these policies far outside Wisconsin’s left-leaning cities.
Winning the Senate and changing the direction of the state hinges on us abandoning the misguided narrative of an urban-rural divide that led us to focus Democratic energies on the blue dots of Madison and Milwaukee. We must instead rebuild the long-standing alliances of academics, organized labor, and farmers that made our state a national leader in creating innovative policies like workers’ compensation and social security.
The next generation of political leaders must see rural areas not as lost causes but as key areas for expanding political support. Progressive candidates need messaging and policy agendas that address the loss of living-wage jobs resulting from the decline in the manufacturing and farming industries. Our elected officials must bring rural stakeholders to the table to design policies that protect economically disenfranchised areas from the repercussions of an increasingly globalized economy. We millennials should listen to these frustrations, not to prescribe solutions, but to understand and work in union to create a more inclusive economy that provides opportunities for self-sufficiency and better quality of life.
So my challenge to millennials is this: get informed, get involved, and go out and vote.
To high school students of all genders watching the Kavanaugh hearings and questioning why entitled men are not held to a higher standard, know that your political voice can be heard at the polls when you turn 18. Remember these events as you participate in future elections.
To Christian millennials who are tired of candidates only using religion as a tool for political gain, I encourage you to determine which candidates truly live out the Gospel of Christ through policies that protect and support the poor and vulnerable.
To all students at UW who have seen the pride and joy of Wisconsin fall in the rankings and hemorrhage world-class professors as a direct result of a Walker-appointed Board of Regents, drag two of your friends with you to the polls on election day.
To all Wisconsinites, we must recognize the urgent need to address injustice and inequities in our state, especially in light of the recent increase in ICE activity and Wisconsin’s staggering racial disparities in educational outcomes and incarceration rates. That starts with sending a message to elected officials that their current efforts are not enough.
These midterms present young people with the opportunity to set Wisconsin on the right track. Whether you identify as liberal, conservative, or somewhere in between, we deserve better from our elected officials. Our whole state deserves better. Wisconsin is a state worth fighting for, and progressive millennials are primed and ready to lead the state forward towards a more equitable and just future — and that starts with voting on Nov. 6.
Erik Gartland is a graduate student at UW-Madison's La Follette School of Public Affairs focused on poverty alleviation and homelessness prevention.