Citizen Action Weekend ’26 Newsletter, Friday, March 27th
Vote in 2026 Spring Election by Tuesday, April 7th
Early Voting has started. Contact your municipality about dates and times.
For more information about voting early, registering to vote, finding your polling location.
See list of Citizen Action of Wisconsin endorsed candidates.
Attend Virtual Wisconsin Town Hall: Data Centers and Utility Rates, Wednesday, April 1st, 6pm
Join Citizen Action of Wisconsin and state elected officials for a virtual town hall about the growing impact of large technology data centers in our state. Companies are proposing massive data centers across Wisconsin to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing. These facilities require enormous amounts of electricity and water, and utilities are already proposing new power plants and grid upgrades to meet that demand. Without clear protections in place, families and small businesses could end up paying the cost through higher utility bills.
At this town hall, we will break down what data centers are, how they could affect electricity costs, water use, climate goals, and what policy solutions can protect Wisconsin communities. State Representatives will join the conversation to hear directly from residents and answer questions.
Attend Citizen Action’s Wisconsin Governor’s forum on April 14th, 6pm
Citizen Action is excited to invite you to our Governor Candidate Forum!
Join us virtually or join us at a watch party! Either way, make sure to join us April 14th at 6pm!
We’re ready to give folks the opportunity to hear directly from the candidates about values such as healthcare, climate change, democracy, and more.
RSVP by April 13th and make sure to share with your fellow Wisconsinites!
Join Citizen Action North Side Rising at No Kings MKE at Washington Park, Saturday, March 28th, Noon.
For more information about joining us, contact: Maletha.Jones@citizenactionwi.org
Attend No Kings Wausau, Saturday, March 28
12:00pm – 2:00pm, Rib Mountain Drive Sidewalk
226601 Rib Mountain Dr.
For more information about joining us, contact: Joel.Lewis@citizenactionwi.org
Attend No Kings Green Bay, 3/28, 11:30am, and Appleton, 3pm
For more information about joining us, contact: g.degrave@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action Statewide Healthcare Action Team Update
We’re in the midst of our BadgerCare Public Option rollout, and teams across the state are taking action to educate their communities about how this bill can deliver real, meaningful change for healthcare in Wisconsin. By expanding access to affordable coverage, the BadgerCare Public Option has the potential to help tens of thousands of working families and small business owners.
Upcoming events:
- Milwaukee Media Event – Monday, March 30 at 10:00 AM
DanDan Restaurant, 360 E. Erie St., Milwaukee - La Crosse Media Event – Tentatively scheduled for Thursday, April 9 (location TBD)
- Superior Healthcare Town Hall – Tuesday, April 28, 5:30–6:45 PM
Superior Public Library - Ashland Healthcare Town Hall – Wednesday, April 29, 6:30–8:30 PM (location TBD)
Many of our organizers and members will also be out at No Kings Day tomorrow—keep an eye out for BadgerCare Public Option signs! Stop by, say hello, and learn how this proposal could dramatically improve healthcare in Wisconsin. With affordability shaping the conversation ahead of the midterm elections, this is a critical moment to engage.
Take action today:
- Email your state legislators and urge them to co-sponsor the BadgerCare Public Option bill
- Attend your local Co-Op team meeting
- Reach out to learn how you can plug into this strategic campaign
Stay tuned for more updates on a broader package of healthcare bills that will complement the BadgerCare Public Option—holding large hospital systems accountable for pricing, curbing unnecessary expansion projects, and cutting out costly middlemen in Medicaid.
For more information or to get involved, contact:
Kristie Tweed, Healthcare Action Coordinator; 📞 608-317-1331
✉️ kristie.tweed@citizenactionwi.org
Together, we can build a healthcare system that truly works for Wisconsin families and small businesses.
9 Wisconsin counties are “maternity care deserts”: Time to pass a Hospital Accountability Act.
9 Wisconsin counties are “maternity care deserts” – no hospitals and birth centers offering obstetric care, and no obstetric providers such as obstetricians. An outrageous fact!
Wisconsin residents pay some of the highest costs in the nation, and yet hospitals across the state are either closing or cutting vital services such as emergency care and birthing units, especially in rural areas and urban neighborhoods.
The hospital monopolies are non profits in name only and are acting like banks, fossil fuel utilities, and other for-profit highly regulated industries. It is long overdue for the hospital industry to lose its special protections and be regulated in the public interest.
Our state legislature has the power to put the guardrails back in place to lower costs for consumers and stabilize our teetering healthcare system. Until they act, our medical bills and insurance premiums will keep going up–and every community in the state risks suddenly losing critical healthcare access.
That’s why we are working with Sen Dora Drake on new legislation, the Hospital Accountability Act, that will include the following as first step to creating an affordable accessible health care system that (1) returns public oversight to the prices the big hospitals charge and (2) ensures hospitals demonstrate the community need for any costly new medical service and capacity. This will prevent wasteful over-building, which drives up consumer costs.
Learn more about Hospital Accountability Act.
For more information about how you can get involved in our campaign, contact: Kristie.Tweed@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action North Central Organizing Co-op Update
On Thursday, March 26th, the NC Organizing Co-op held their monthly Health Care Action Team meeting at 6 pm (held on the 4th Thursday of every month at the same time). The two top items discussed were the BadgerCare Public Option Bill and the AI Data Center Pause Bill.
Four members of the team will collect petition signatures in support of these two bills, at No Kings and other events around the region. The AI Data Center issue has intersectionality with our climate and healthcare work.
To get active with our climate, healthcare, or electoral work, reach out to Organizer, Joel Lewis at 715-551-2525 or joel.lewis@citizenactionwi.org
Citizen Action in the News
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was on the Earl Ingram Show on Civic Media radio network to discuss what is really at stake in the elections for working families.
Citizen Action’s Robert Kraig was on the Jeff Santos Show (Weekdays 2-5 on the Civic Media radio network statewide) to discuss the latest on Trump’s war, the Wisconsin Governor’s race and the latest Marquette poll.
Watch here (@ the 2 hour 7 minute mark of video)
Listen to “Everyone’s an Election Pundit” Battleground Wisconsin Podcast
We revisit the Iran War escalation and review the current Department of Homeland Security shutdown snarling airports as Trump shoots down every legislative deal to fund TSA, holding for his SAVE TRUMP (voter suppression) Act.
With the Democratic Primary for Governor still wide open, some voters are trying to pick the most viable candidate based on personality or profile, as Ruth Conniff reports in the Wisconsin Examiner. We unpack why Democratic leaders and activists fall into acting like pundits rather than picking the candidate with the clearest most compelling solutions to the state’s many pressing issues.
We discuss the latest MU Law Poll, where Judge Chris Taylor is leading the April 7th Supreme Court election with 30% to 22% for Lazar. The poll also reveals much greater voter enthusiasm for voting than Republicans and Independents. We also speculate on the poll’s latest finding in the Wisconsin Democratic Primary for Governor.
Listen to the show.
RSVP to Citizen Action’s Governor Candidate Forum, Tuesday, April 14th, 6pm.
