Voting in a fragile democracy

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Good morning bread friends,

This upcoming Tuesday April 7th is Election Day here in Wisconsin. This is a good time to recalibrate on how to vote in 2026 America.

The status and stability of America’s democracy is rapidly declining according to multiple international organizations who track that sort of thing. But we don’t need studies for that do we? We can feel the erosion of trust in our own democracy.

As America acknowledges its 250th birthday… it’s worth reminding ourselves that this is still a relatively short amount of time to be a country by global standards.

And when we think about the history of voting in our country - I’m reminded that for more than half of that 250 years only white men could vote. There are people alive today who saw white women get the right to vote 104 years ago. And for that matter, based on the median age of US Senators… most of them remember a time when black people couldn’t vote in this country.

It is fair to say that our country has been on a slow but steady march towards enfranchising more people with the right to vote, thus making us into more of a legitimate representative democracy. One means of enfranchisement that has been on the rise up until recently has been vote by mail. If you’re curious, the Smithsonian has a digital exhibit showing the history of vote by mail dating back to the Civil War.

This week the current president signed an Executive Order that is widely understood to be an attempt to limit mail in voting.

And while this EO does not impact this April election, I thought I’d share with you that my peers who are doing Get Out The Vote work in Wisconsin are encouraging voters to seriously prioritize voting in person this election. The main reason is because voting in person increases the likelihood that your vote is counted ahead of Election Day.

Speaking of disenfranchisement… one pervasive form of voter disenfranchisement that still persist is for people behind bars. In the United States, over 4 million Americans cannot vote due to a felony conviction. Felony disenfranchisement laws vary from state to state, but 48 states bar incarcerated individuals from casting a ballot. Maine and Vermont however do allow incarcerated individuals to vote.

In Wisconsin there are 65,000 individuals with felony convictions who have had their voting rights taken away. The ACLU of WI points out that almost 2/3 of those people are not actually in prison. In Wisconsin after you return home from being imprisoned, you might still be “on paper”, meaning you’re on probation, parole, or extended supervision. That can last for years, and state law prohibits people who are “on paper” from being voters that entire time. I can’t fathom why this is helpful to society, or empowering for these returning citizens.

This month Bread & Justice is donating 100% of our profits to EXPO of Wisconsin. EXPO stands for EX-Incarcerated People Organizing. It is a nonprofit that believes in the inherent dignity of all currently and formerly incarcerated people, and has various programs aimed at supporting this population such as… reentry support, peer support, voting rights restoration and advocacy, and safe housing for women who are returning from incarceration.

Thanks for joining me in trying to make the world slightly better in our own way.

Cheers,
Mo
baker

P.S. Thinking about people who’s seen a lot of history… Ruby Bridges is coming to Madison next week. Kids learn about Ruby as the first African American child to desegregate an all-white elementary school in the American South… but this is just a chill reminder that she’s only 71 years old. Anyway. Hannah and I will be there to hear her speak on campus. Perhaps we’ll see you there.

P.P.S. If you read this far you may have forgotten… you can order bread for pickup this Saturday, or BreadClub for the month of April ;) Thanks!