By Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
As we approach the final day of the election, the stakes couldn’t be higher. While the last four years have been painful and frustrating for the sheer chaos brought along by the president, the good news is it doesn’t have to be this way.
Here in Milwaukee, we are uniquely situated to impact the very course of this nation. We have the opportunity to vote for a ticket that’s going to build back a more equitable, more accessible and more inclusive America.
We’ve seen what four years of Donald Trump looks like: a president who fans the flames of hatred and division at every opportunity. We have seen without fail that Trump and the Republican Party will put their political priorities over the civil rights, health and safety of our people and our democracy.
Nowhere is that choice of politics over people clearer than in our fight against this lethal virus. As COVID-19 disproportionately impacts Black and brown people in our state, Trump said we’re “rounding the corner” of this pandemic and has embraced a strategy of trying to ignore the virus away. Furthermore, he remains singularly focused on his crusade to repeal Obamacare – in the middle of a global health crisis.
With our lives and our livelihoods on the ballot, we cannot afford four more years.
Vice President Joe Biden
We need strong partners in the White House – and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are ready to step up into that role on day one. They have a comprehensive plan to control this virus and no matter who you are, they would make all COVID-19 testing, treatment and any vaccine free.
Biden and Harris also have a wide-reaching plan for Black America that includes major investments in Black communities and Black-owned business. They will prioritize access to homeownership, ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, quality health care and prioritize urgently-needed reforms to the criminal justice system.
This election will be a mile marker, not a finish line. There will be plenty of organizing and work ahead of us – we must continue to fight for racial justice, economic justice, climate justice and social justice for our community.
As president, Biden will fight every day to help lead those changes – and he’ll listen. He and Harris are clear-eyed about the challenges facing our community and they know the urgency of this moment. We have the opportunity to vote for a ticket that’s going to lead a just and equitable recovery out of these crises. But they can’t do it alone – we must vote.
Find your polling place and other voting information at iwillvote.com/WI. There is still time to vote early, you can vote early in-person at early voting sites across the city through Sunday, Nov. 1, and if you have an absentee ballot, you can return it to a drop box or your clerk’s office before polls close on Election Day.
Of course, you can also vote in-person on Election Day, this Nov. 3, when polls are from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. You can register in-person when you vote, just bring along a photo ID and proof of residence, which can be as easy as a pay stub, utility bill or lease.
If you have any questions about how to register or cast your ballot, call the Voter Assistance Hotline at 608-336-3232.
Once you’ve made your plan to vote, talk to your family, to your friends, to your neighbors and make sure that they have a plan too. There’s too much at stake to stay on the sidelines.
This is the time to make it count – we must vote. We must mobilize. The future of the country is on the ballot.
Let’s use our power and make our voices heard, Milwaukee.