Republicans Lose GOTV Case
(PatriotWise.com) – A Milwaukee County judge last month denied a request from the Wisconsin Republican Party to stop the city of Milwaukee from continuing a GOTV effort that is not run or funded by the city.
In her decision, Judge Gwen Connolly wrote that the arguments made by the Wisconsin GOP and Milwaukee voter Elizabeth Burke were “deficient” and ruling in their favor would chill Free Speech.
The lawsuit is one of two filed by the Wisconsin GOP after Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson announced the get-out-the-vote initiative “Milwaukee Votes 2022” and a canvassing effort funded by the “private sector.”
This particular lawsuit, filed on September 28, argued that although “Milwaukee Votes 2022” is billed as a “nonpartisan” GOTV effort, the city was partnering with GPS Impact, a group that works to elect Democrats.
They requested Judge Connolly issue a temporary injunction preventing the city from working with “Milwaukee Votes 2022” ahead of the midterms or, at the least, prevent the city from working with Democrat partisan groups in the initiative.
The city argued that the legal standards cited by the Wisconsin GOP did not apply to the mayor and could not be enforced. In its response, the city also said it was not funding or running the GOTV effort, nor did it have the authority to stop others from participating in it.
In her ruling, Judge Connolly said although the plaintiffs might have “significant concerns as to whether the City has been or will be administering the upcoming” midterm election “in accordance with Wisconsin law,” those concerns “do not equate to a violation of the law.”
She said the Wisconsin Republican Party and Elizabeth Burke were not able to identify any specific law regarding government transparency that was violated, adding that the plaintiffs were “in essence” requesting that the Court “make new law and retroactively impose the law on the defendants” to “ameliorate their ‘significant concerns.’” Connolly concluded by saying the Court “is unwilling to do so.”
Copyright 2022, PatriotWise.com
