EMILY's List: All Eyes on Wisconsin

Our friends at EMILY's List have been on the ground in Wisconsin, where five of the six Democratic candidates vying to replace Governor Scott Walker's cronies are women. Here's a first-hand report from WOMEN VOTE! director Denise Feriozzi (UPDATED 2:20 PM Pacific Time)

 

Tonight, all eyes will be on Wisconsin. Today, it’s all hands on deck.

Since Friday I’ve been here in Milwaukee, where EMILY’s List is on the ground to get out the vote for Sandy Pasch in what may be the closest election in the Wisconsin recall races. But it’s not just EMILY’s List—we’ve been working in tandem with an amazing mix of volunteers from the community as well and groups who've all come together in common purpose, from Planned Parenthood and the League of Conservation Voters to AFSCME, WI AFL-CIO, SEIU, and WEAC. If we win tonight, it will be because we all did this as one effort. 

As the director of our WOMEN VOTE! program, I’ve been training volunteers who come in to help with this race, including some of the great Team EMILY members who've been out knocking on doors. Rarely in my career have I seen such an impressive on-the-ground operation, and never have I witnessed so much political activity in such a small area.

We know that a strong field operation can make a couple of points difference, and in close races like these are, that could be the margin! This is hand-to-hand combat to get our voters out to the doors, and it’s going to all come down to what we’re able to accomplish today. The TV ads have already been run, the debates have happened—now it’s all up to us.

 We're also staying vigilant and making sure that Republicans don't try any of the shenanigans we've seen them attempt in the past. And while many voters are being asked to show identification at the polls, we're making sure folks know that they aren't yet required to do so (the new Republican voter ID law is not yet in effect), and shouldn't feel intimidated from voting.

With just hours until the polls close at 8pm Central Time, we'll be working hard until the very last minute.