As the state of Wisconsin analyzes the outcome of this week's state Supreme Court election, environmental advocates are hopeful about what it means for their efforts.

Liberals are now poised to see the court's balance of power go in their direction. Abortion access, redistricting, and voter rights took center stage in the debates and coverage leading up to Tuesday's vote.

Ryan Billingham, communications director for the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, said democracy was a big concern for his group, too.

But he added that with gerrymandering issues under a conservative-leaning court in recent years, it's been hard to advance policies to protect state resources Wisconsin residents have shown they care about.

"Its water and its lands and its outdoor recreation industry," said Billingham. "Everything that they care about can be ignored in a gerrymandered [map] like that."

In a statewide poll from last year, 68% of respondents said climate change was a problem on varying levels.

And a separate 2022 report from Wisconsin's Green Fire organization said under a Republican-controlled Legislature, there's been a failure to conserve natural resources.

For their part, GOP lawmakers last year allowed updated water standards to take effect amid concerns over PFAS chemicals.

The League of Conservation Voters did endorse the liberal-leaning candidate, Janet Protasiewicz. Billingham noted that they were worried about conservative candidate Dan Kelly maintaining a court balance that would block environmental lawsuits.

He said with residents voicing their concerns about these matters, it was important for the group to speak up, too.

"If we enter into - we being the people of Wisconsin - enter into a lawsuit, for instance if something isn't right at the federal level," said Billingham, "we need to have that determined by people who have a fair mind."

During his campaign, Kelly insisted he wouldn't let politics influence court decisions.

Meanwhile, last year's Green Fire report noted that the weakening of executive powers in Wisconsin has allowed too many industries to have a big influence on environmental decisions carried out by the Legislature.





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This coming Saturday, North Dakotans will get a chance to see how election workers go to great lengths to ensure a safe and secure voting process. Those hosting a film screening say the timing is crucial given the current political environment.

The League of Women Voters is offering a free viewing of the documentary "No Time to Fail" in Bismarck - and virtually, too.

The film provides a behind-the-scenes look at election staff in Rhode Island, at the height of the pandemic during the 2020 vote.

Kathy Tweeten is president of the League's Bismarck-Mandan chapter. She said she thinks the project dispels misinformation still being floated out there, such as electronic machines compromising elections.

"It's a paper ballot that's put in the machine," said Tweeten, "which counts the votes, and it's still available for auditing after Election Day and all the ballots have been cast."

There's an effort to get a ballot question before North Dakota voters, asking to overhaul election policies, such as banning the machines.

And the League recently took legal action to block a lawsuit seeking to limit the counting of mail-in ballots. Those behind such efforts often cite the need to bolster election integrity.

Meanwhile, the screening begins at 1 p.m. in the North Dakota Heritage Center. It also will be shown online at that time.

Nationwide, analysts say the fallout from the 2020 election has fueled more hateful rhetoric toward election workers, making recruitment harder. Tweeten said she hopes the film inspires more people to take on these roles.

"It's not an easy job but it's a very rewarding one," said Tweeten. "And I hope more people will take the opportunity to work at the polls or at least become an observer, so you know what's going on."

She reinforced what other election experts have noted: These workers are part of the communities they serve, and they receive training before helping out at a polling site.

After Saturday's film screening, there will be a panel discussion including election staff and the McKenzie County Auditor.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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It's Hispanic Heritage Month, and one Nevada organization wants Latinos to realize the power they can have when they are more politically engaged. The U.S. Census Bureau says Hispanics and Latinos make up over 30% of the state's population.

With the group Battle Born Progress, Latino Anti-Disinformation Manager Maite Guerra said politicians are already campaigning around this fact for the next elections.

Guerra added that the Nevada Hispanic population is hungry for reputable information and resources, especially in their native Spanish. So, Battle Born Progress is now working on an information hub for Spanish speakers across the Silver State.

"While it's not up yet, it is something we are planning to do," said Guerra. "Something else that we are doing is fact checking a lot of right-wing politicians - so, just making sure that what is being said in the political sphere is accurate, and not targeting our community."

Guerra said having accurate, accessible information is critical.

The Latino research organization Equis released a report exploring 2022 voting trends and how those portend for 2024.

It found Latino voters who see the economy as their top issue voted overwhelmingly Republican, but at lower than expected rates.

Those who prioritize abortion access were a smaller group and voted Democrat - but at higher than predicted rates.

Guerra said one of her organization's partners, Make the Road Nevada, will hold an immigrant career summit this month to help empower the Latino community.

Topics will include everything from how to get a business license to becoming familiar with the citizenship solicitation process.

"I think a lot of people maybe don't know how to take that step on how to become a citizen," said Guerra. "Being able to provide those resources is really important, and I think overall builds engagement towards our community, because I think it shows that we care."

Guerra encouraged Nevadans to enjoy the Hispanic Heritage Month events happening around the state - but to also not forget that learning more about their local issues and politics will be helpful year-round.

Across Utah, 10 cities will be using ranked choice voting in the general election in November.

In 2018, Utah passed a bill to establish a pilot program in which cities could use ranked choice voting.

Kelleen Potter, executive director of Utah Ranked Choice Voting, said the voting method "allows voters to express their will more fully." She pointed out ranked choice voting also encourages civility, especially among candidates who can work to appeal to more voters when they're looking to secure second- and third-choice support.

"So instead of this 'all or nothing' -- 'they're my friend, they're my enemy' -- you start looking at it differently, as a candidate and as a voter, where we're trying to come to a consensus and solve the problems we have in our jurisdictions, in our cities," Potter outlined.

Potter is convinced ranked choice voting is positive for democracy. In order for any candidate to be elected, they must receive 50% of the votes, unlike the current voting system. Potter added no voting method is perfect and said they are trying to educate Utahns and elections officials, some of whom have argued it is too confusing.

So far, they have found younger voters seem to be embracing the idea of ranked choice voting. Potter, who has run for public office herself, said the method is gaining popularity, but is taking longer in more conservative states. However, according to FairVote.org, Utah has the most cities of any state to be using ranked choice voting.

"We saw that in every city, over 50% of the voters liked it, and that ranged up to the 80s and 90s in some cities," Potter reported. "We find that voters, after they've used it, and it doesn't seem so scary, and they go, 'Oh yeah, this makes sense to me.' They tend to really like it."

Potter contended ranked choice voting also saves cities money by only needing to hold one general election in November, rather than an August primary followed by another election in November.


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