Weekend ’26 Newsletter, Friday, March 20th
Vote in 2026 Spring Election by Tuesday, April 7th
See list of Citizen Action of Wisconsin endorsed candidates.
For more information about voting early, registering to vote, finding your polling location.
Attend Citizen Action’s Wisconsin Governor’s forum on April 14th, 6pm
Citizen Action of Wisconsin is excited to invite you to our Governor Candidate Forum!
Join us virtually or join us at a watch party! Either way, make sure to join us April 14th at 6pm!
We’re ready to give folks the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about values such as healthcare, climate change, democracy, and more.
RSVP by April 13th and make sure to share with your fellow Wisconsinites!
Citizen Action North Central Organizing Co-op Updates
Back in 2023, after the regional Climate Action Team worked for nearly a year, they were able to get the City of Wausau to pass a resolution to commit to 100% renewable energy by the year 2050.
Since that time, Wausau has elected a different Mayor. And there has been no movement on making good on this resolution. The climate team was formed for this purpose.
Now, not only do we need to hold the council accountable, but we have more issues to be concerned about. We need to be concerned about data centers. We need to be concerned with the cost of utilities.
We need to be concerned about climate accountability in general. If these issues matter to you and you want to take action, then the regional climate action team could be a place for you.
We meet on the 2nd Thursday of every month via Zoom.
Reach out to our Organizer Joel Lewis, at 715-551-2525 or joel.lewis@citizenactionwi.org if you’d like to get involved.
Citizen Action Driftless Organizing Co-op: Building Momentum for the BadgerCare Public Option
Our Driftless Region Healthcare Action Team met this week to strategize around the BadgerCare Public Option (BPO), and the momentum is building.
Kristie Tweed, CAW’s Healthcare Action Coordinator, shared that the BPO has more legislative support than ever before, with 43 of 45 Democratic legislators co-sponsoring the bill. We’re now in the messaging phase, working to get the remaining legislators on board.
Our team’s focus is clear: make sure our legislators hear from their constituents. Every team member is working to get 10-20 people to email their state representatives and senators in support of the BPO. We’re also planning direct lobby visits to share healthcare stories and make the case for why this matters to families and small businesses in our region.
Thank you to our special guest, Sister Sue Ernster of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, who connected the BPO to FSPA’s social justice work and our shared values.
Looking ahead, we’re gearing up for a press conference with State Rep. Tara Johnson at a farm outside Cashton (date TBD), and we’ll be hosting State Rep. Francesca Hong at our April 21st meeting to talk about our healthcare priorities.
Take action: Sign the BPO petition and share it with 10 friends.
Forward healthcare stories to aron.newberry@citizenactionwi.org.
Thanks to Kelly, Steven, and Suzanne for sharing why they support the BadgerCare Public Option.
Attend Virtual Wisconsin Town Hall: Data Centers and Utility Rates, Wednesday, April 1st, 6pm
Join Citizen Action of Wisconsin and state elected officials for a virtual town hall about the growing impact of large technology data centers in our state. Companies are proposing massive data centers across Wisconsin to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing. These facilities require enormous amounts of electricity and water, and utilities are already proposing new power plants and grid upgrades to meet that demand. Without clear protections in place, families and small businesses could end up paying the cost through higher utility bills.
At this town hall, we will break down what data centers are, how they could affect electricity costs, water use, climate goals, and what policy solutions can protect Wisconsin communities. State Representatives will join the conversation to hear directly from residents and answer questions.
Join Citizen Action North Side Rising at No Kings MKE at Washington Park, Saturday, March 28th, Noon.
For more information about joining us, contact: Maletha.Jones@citizenactionwi.org
Attend No Kings Wausau, Saturday, March 28
Attend No Kings Green Bay, 3/28, 11:30am. St James Park.
Citizen Action in the News
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was on the Earl Ingram Show to discuss his recent article on the affordability trap and the fate of democracy.
Listen to the entire interview here.
You can also see an excerpt of an early interview on the same topic on Instagram.
Citizen Action is one of the groups pushing Governor Evers to veto a bill defining anthemism which could be used to criminalize free speech, including legitimate criticism of Israel.
Read more in the Wisconsin Examiner.
You can also learn more in this week’s Battleground Wisconsin podcast (see below). We urge Citizen Action members and friends to call the Governor’s office and urge him to veto this attack on civil liberties.
Listen to “Always Organizing” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We open with a discussion of this week’s Trump Regime low lights, including the dangerous Iran war escalation and Brad Schimel not leaving his U.S. Attorney’s post despite being vetoed by Tammy Baldwin and fired by a federal district court. One silver lining in Wisconsin, after Robin Vos removed his block, Governor Tony Evers is finally able to sign into law the long overdue expansion of post partum Medicaid.
We welcome former state representative Sandy Pasch to highlight a dangerous bill on the Governor’s desk that conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. The bill passed the Legislature and will be law unless it is vetoed by Governor Evers. Sandy details why the bill is so dangerous and asks everyone who cares about free speech to call Governor Evers today to demand a veto.
Mark Rice, from WISDOM, joins us to celebrate a legislative victory for incarcerated people and their loved ones in Wisconsin. The bill provides access to healthcare for incarcerated people with substance use disorders through a Medicaid extension that would also cover general health care needs.
We close with a discussion of the Legislature’s “last spasm” of activity, including Representative Cruz and Phelps’ public school proposal to use half of the remaining state budget surplus for funding public schools. Speaker Vos decries lack of Senate action on the GOP data center bill, warning it will cost the Republicans seats in the Legislature this November. Regardless, the impact is to leave the data center boom largely unregulated.
We close this week’s episode with a critical question for democracy: Will Trump succeed in coercing Republicans into ending the filibuster to enact his election theft plan (SAVE “Trump”Act) through the U.S. Senate.
Listen to the show.
