Teaching Assistants' Association
UW- Madison
Change Begins At Home in 2008
For too long, our state legislature has failed us. The issues range from the most immediate to us - like de-funding the university system and failing us in our contracts - to the broader issues that confront our state - like the needs for universal healthcare, tax fairness, civil rights, and pro-worker politices. We need to make a change - we need a state legislature that is pro-labor, pro-education, pro-UW, and progressive. This is the year to make it happen and we can do it; for us, change begins at home in 2008.
The Past Shows Us the Future
In 2006, we helped to build a progressive, pro-labor, pro-education majority in the State Senate. However, while we added nine progressives in the State Assembly, a conservative and regressive majority still held sway. The difference between the two bodies of the legislature could not have been more stark. On issue after issue, bill after bill, the progressive majority in the State Senate led the way while the regressive majority in the State Assembly stood in the way.
In 2008, we can build a progressive majority in both houses of the state legislature and move a pro-Wisconsin agenda. We will be focusing on the State Assembly because that is where there are gains to be made.
The Lay of the Land
In the State Assembly, there are 99 districts all across our state. The partisan breakdown is 51 Republicans, 47 Democrats, and 1 independent. All told, we are only three seats shy of a progressive majority in the Assembly.
There are roughly twenty Assembly seats held by an anti-labor, anti-education, regressive incumbent right now that are being challenged by a pro-labor, pro-education progressive. Combined with the progressives that first won election in 2006 and need to be defended from legitimate challenge, there are around 25 seats that will be contested to determine the make-up of the Assembly.
Six of the 25 seats are right in our backyard! We can help to win these six seats - three to defend and three to challenge - by organizing alongside our brothers and sisters in the labor movement to win at the grassroots. Get involved as we work to build that progressive, pro-labor, pro-education majority in Wisconsin!
How, Where, and When To Vote
Absentee Voting. You can request an absentee ballot online right here.
Finding your District and Polling Place. To find your polling place, you can click here and enter your street address.
Everything you wanted to know about voting in Wisconsin but were afraid to ask