S1, E17 (May 8, 2023): How Wisconsin Organized Voters to Combat Attacks on Democracy
Guests: Seth Hoffmeister, Rep. Seth Bongartz
Wisconsin Conservation Voters’ Deputy Director, Seth Hoffmeister joins the podcast from the 2023 LCV Conservation Voters Movement Conference in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. Seth shares stories about the incredible field organizing his organization led, resulting in successfully blocking a Republican supermajority in the Wisconsin House of Representatives. Despite being a majority democratic state, having elected Democratic Governor Tony Evers for a second term in 2022, the state is plagued with the worst gerrymandering in the country. He talks about the undemocratic district maps that strengthen Republican control, and hopes for reversing that movement thanks to last month’s Supreme Court election, giving the court liberal control for the first time since 2008. We discuss lessons for Vermont, and what Wisconsin’s recent victories mean for our national politics.
For our Deep Dive conversation, Lauren Hierl speaks with Representative Seth Bongartz (D-Manchester) about the progress of S.100, the housing equity bill, as we near the end of the 2023 session. Lauren and I recap the week in the State House and movement on environmental priority policies, including news of Gov. Phil Scott’s vetoing of S.5, the Affordable Heat Act, and its potential override vote this week.
Download the full transcript here: Word | PDF
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