Six Wisconsin State Senate seats up for grabs in recall elections today

Image via MapWI

Six Wisconsin State Senate seats are up for grabs today, as voters head to the polls for recall elections. All six races today feature Republican incumbents, and Democrats can take control of the state senate with three victories. Two additional races featuring Democratic incumbents will take place on August 16. The CapTimes in Madison has a rundown of the recall elections, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes the elections’ historic nature.

Network partners have produced and tracked information to help voters for the recall elections:

League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has put together a voter guide on candidates’ positions (PDF), as well as a primer on upcoming changes in election law, specifying the changes that will take place starting today.

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has compiled candidate fundraising and spending information for today’s elections. They have also put together a page on independent expenditures and issue ads.

Brennan Center for Justice communications coordinator Erik Opsal also penned an entry for WisOpinion.com on the negative effects of the new voter ID law on Wisconsin voters.

Common Cause in Wisconsin posted a blog entry looking at some of the races individually, but also at the bigger picture of impact of big money and outside spending on these elections.

News outlets have also picked up on spending in the Wisconsin recall races:

WDC has also picked up some press with its research showing that election spending has topped $30 million. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Washington Post both cite WDC’s findings on outside spending.

Common Cause in Wisconsin and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign are both quoted in this Bloomberg News article, with Jay Heck of Common Cause Wisconsin saying that the recall elections are the “first battle of the 2012 election,”and Mike McCabe of WDC calling the candidates “bystanders,” with political interest groups doing most of the talking and attacking.