We are just a couple of days away from the April 4th election! There is a lot at stake in this election. Know your voting rights, and find out where you can vote and what’s on your ballot at myvote.wi.gov. Let us take a closer look at what is at stake, and the challenges voters have been facing this week.

Wisconsin Voters May Weaken Their Constitutional Right to Bail – Brennan Center for Justice

A couple of the statewide referendums on the ballot this year consider the right to bail. Most state constitutions have a right to pretrial release. Over the years, more and more amendments have been created to limit this right. These referendums are the same. One will change conditions from which a defendant’s release be calculated from “serious bodily harm” to “serious harm”. What is considered “serious harm” will be left to be defined by the legislature.

The next one looks at criminal history when considering setting money bail for a defendant accused of a violent crime. “Courts could impose high money bail requirements after assessing whether the defendant has a prior conviction for a violent crime or whether there is a need to protect the community or prevent witness intimidation.” (Yeargain). Considering that the current legislature is looking to expand the list of what violent crimes would be qualified for this decision, a pretrial release would be solely reliant on someone’s financial resources.

Wisconsinites know that safety and justice should be for all of us. No matter what our neighborhood looks like, or how much money is in our wallets, we all deserve the freedom to decide for ourselves what safety looks like in our communities.

State Supreme Court decisions have a big impact on Wisconsin’s environment – Wisconsin Examiner