Dan Kelly vs Janet Protasiewicz Supreme Court Election: From an Age Gap Perspective 

Government elections are essential in our society by igniting the necessary dialogues between elected officials, governing bodies, and citizens. However, stark contrasts were found when comparing the political perspectives of older voters to those of the younger generation of voters in this year’s Supreme Court race between Dan Kelly and Janet Protasiewicz.  

Getting a deeper look into the different political perspectives, a younger generation voter Colton Sanger, 22, and an older generation voter Anne La Chapelle, 52, provided some insight into their views of the two nominees and how they determined their preferred candidate.  

First, it was essential to establish what prompted them by looking at the leading motivational factor behind their vote.  

Beginning the conversation with the younger perspective of Sanger, when asked about what issue he cared about most in this election, he mentioned abortion being the leading factor.  

“It would have to be abortion; it is such an important issue,” said Sanger.  

In contrast, the response from the older generation voter Anne La Chapelle was more particular and focused on the crime.  

“Issues are crime – holding violent offenders accountable through charges and prosecution,” said La Chapelle. “Election integrity – ensuring voting laws get upheld and enforced to maintain the integrity of the electoral process.”  

With an age gap of 30 years, it is interesting to see the difference in prioritization of specific issues over others.   

Regarding abortion, 52-year-old La Chapelle did not share the same sentiment as the 22-year-old Sanger. 

When asked whether abortion influenced her vote or not, she had this to say.  

“No, abortion was not a factor,” said La Chapelle. “I think the individual states should decide and can see both viewpoints on this issue.”  

Whereas in the case of Sanger, it ultimately decided where his vote went.  

“It was the leading factor in whom I voted for,” he said. “I strongly believe that women should have the right to get an abortion.”  

Although it is a controversial question to ask someone, the question of whom they voted for was eventually eased into.  

Which both La Chapelle and Sanger happily agreed to disclose.  

First, looking at the younger vote from Sanger, it is evident in his vote that, as previously stated, abortion was a driving factor.  

“I voted for Janet Protasiewicz,” said Sanger.  

This vote aligns with an abortion-centered focus, given that Democratic nominee Janet Protasewicz put abortion at the center of her campaign.  

Shifting to La Chapelle’s vote, her previous answers align with the proposed policies from Republican nominee Dan Kelly.  

“I voted for Kelly,” said La Chapelle.  

Moving away from the two political candidates themselves and now focusing on the actual campaigns.  

In order to get an understanding of the opposing campaign’s efforts and effectiveness through the media, La Chapelle and Sanger detailed their impressions.  

What stood out the most about this race was where the two began their reviews of the opposing campaigns.  

Sanger emphasized his surprise at the lack of endorsements from both sides. While also mentioning the initiative taken by doing his independent research.  

“Honestly, I was surprised at the lack of endorsement from both sides,” said Sanger.   

Compared to Sanger’s answer, La Chapelle expressed her displeasure with the constant smearing of character and aggressive tactics.  

“The campaign ads were extremely negative with excessive mudslinging back and forth,” she said. “The candidates spoke more about their opponent’s negative record than their platform.”   

The two voters gave vastly different responses when asked where they had received their information on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election.  

“I ended up having to do much independent research to come to a final educated decision,” said Sanger.  

In La Chapelle’s case, she got much of her information from major news outlets, social media, Etc.  

“Mostly TV ads, some TV news reports, and social media,” said La Chapelle.  

The final segment of our conversations ended with their familiarity with voting and Supreme Court voting.  

La Chapelle noted that she has consistently voted, whereas Sanger clarified that he was familiar with the voting process.  

“Yes, I am a regular voter,” said La Chapelle. “I have probably voted in 90 percent of all elections and Supreme Court races.”  

“No, typically, I have not been one to head out to the polls and vote,” said Sanger. “This was my first time voting in a Supreme Court race.”  

As one could expect, the older 52-year-old La Chapelle holds much more voting experience than the younger 22-year-old Sanger.  

Given these vastly different responses and perspectives between a 22-year-old and a 52-year-old voter, one may think that a generational difference exists regarding voting and political policies.