Early voting starts in Wisconsin for April 1 election

Early voting begins on Tuesday for the upcoming election in Wisconsin, set for April 1. The main focus is the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but voters will also make decisions on other important issues. One key contest is for the state's top education official. This position will influence K-12 school policies during the next presidential term. The candidates are incumbent Jill Underly, supported by teachers' unions, and Brittany Kinser, backed by Republicans and private school interests. Former candidates dropped out in the primary, leaving Underly and Kinser to compete. Underly has a long career in education, beginning in 1999 as a high school teacher. She became Wisconsin’s state superintendent in 2021 and is endorsed by various Democratic groups. Kinser promotes her experience as a charter school principal, though critics point out it was a charter school, not a traditional public school. Issues like the voucher school program and how education funding is handled are central to the campaign. Kinser has criticized Underly’s management and changes to state achievement standards, while Underly argues that Kinser's support for vouchers harms public schools. In addition to the education race, voters will consider a measure to enshrine Wisconsin's photo ID law in the state constitution. This law requires voters to show identification at the polls. Proponents say it will enhance election security, while opponents argue it makes voting harder for marginalized groups. If approved, the ID requirement would be more difficult to change in the future. Wisconsin currently has the strictest ID law in the country among the nine states that require photo identification for voting.