Time to Move Forward Together

Our democracy is based on the idea that we pick our leaders.

In the epicenter of America’s coronavirus epidemic, amidst barriers that make registering and accessing the ballot box a challenge for many, Wisconsinites did just that. This election season, we turned out in record numbers, from Milwaukee to Douglas County, and everywhere in between, to vote for the future that we have been working towards throughout this long year—a future where all of us count.

In the spring, we delivered food to our neighbors and sewed masks to support each other as COVID-19 hit. Throughout the summer, we marched to defend Black lives and invest in Black communities and this fall, we voted for a future where COVID-19 is under control and families and businesses are whole again. All year long, we’ve rejected attempts to divide us based on where we come from or what we look like.

The people have spoken, and now our government must deliver on their demands. The campaigning and voting is over, and it’s time for the governing to begin. It’s time to come together to provide COVID relief and improve the economic well-being of working people and small businesses.

We need a COVID-19 aid package that reflects our values and ensures that everyone counts. Black and Brown communities have suffered the brunt of this pandemic—federal and state aid should account for this disproportionate impact with increased investment. Moreover, immigrants have been on the frontline of this pandemic as essential workers and have been excluded from the federal relief that has sustained many of us. Any aid package that excludes immigrants is a betrayal of our values of securing safety and prosperity for all.

During these difficult months, we’ve pulled through by pulling together, and part of that means electing leaders who will pull in the same direction, even if we don’t agree on all of the details.

We’re swearing in a President who knows there’s no time to waste in getting this pandemic under control and helping families and businesses make ends meet. Wisconsinites are ready for national leadership. And today, with politics and campaigning behind us, we also need to be done with pointing fingers. As COVID records topple like dominos, Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature should work with Governor Evers to provide relief and enact public health measures to slow the spread. No matter our politics, we all want COVID relief and a healthier, more prosperous future.

This year, and especially in these last few days, we’ve witnessed a triumph of our democracy in Wisconsin and across the nation.

Despite the pandemic, an economic crisis, and deliberate barriers to silence the voices of marginalized communities, voters did their job and turned out in record numbers. Forced to wait until Election Day to begin their work, non-partisan local election officials and community members who stepped up to work the polls did their job.

Under the watchful eye of representatives of both parties, they worked all night to count every vote. Now, we the people will ensure that our newly elected leaders care and govern for us all. We won’t just tackle the crises created by the last government, but genuinely make Wisconsin a place where everyone can thrive.

We picked our leaders, and now, together, we’re going to make our future.

Statement supported by: BLOC, SEIU Healthcare Wisconsin, Opportunity Wisconsin, Progress North, All In Wisconsin, A Better Wisconsin Together, Fight for $15 Wisconsin, SEIU Wisconsin State Council, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, For Our Future Wisconsin, Working Families Party, Indivisible Wisconsin, AFT-Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, Fair Wisconsin, Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, Blue Sky Waukesha, Our Wisconsin Revolution, SEIU Local 1, Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers, WIN Justice, NextGen Wisconsin, Voces De La Frontera