Wisconsin Voters Are Unsure About Where They Will Vote In State Supreme Court Election, According To Marquette Poll

According to a new Marquette Law School Poll, 46% of likely voters in Wisconsin are still unsure about where they will vote in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election between Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor. 

The Marquette Poll surveyed 850 registered voters in Wisconsin between Mar. 11 and Mar. 18 with a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points. The poll found that both Republicans and Democrats are strongly aligned with their respective candidates as likely voters. 

“A substantial majority (75%) of registered voters incorrectly believe that this election can tip the ideological balance on the Court,” according to Charles Franklin in the Marquette University Law School Poll Release. 

As it stands this election will not change the current political stance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Regardless of who wins this election there will be a liberal advantage in the court. 

“Liberals hold a 4-3 majority, with a retiring conservative justice, so the majority will either remain unchanged or increase to five liberals,” according to the Poll Release.

Among likely voters in the election, 22% said they would vote for Lazar and 30% would vote for Taylor, and only 1% of the interviewees claimed they would not vote in the upcoming election.

At the moment a majority of Wisconsin voters claim they are unsure about what the candidates they stand for in this election. With 51% of voters claiming that they have not heard enough about Lazar’s stance and 52% claiming they have not heard enough about Taylor’s stance.

According to Judge Maria Lazar’s website, Lazar is putting “ethics first” and is remaining free from partisan politics during her campaign.  

“This campaign is about restoring fair, impartial justice to a Court that should stand above politics,” said Lazar on her website. 

According to Judge Chris Taylor’s website, Taylor is “committed to making sure everyone is able to access our justice system.” 

It appears that because this election will have such a small impact on the outcome of the state’s supreme court, many WIsconsin voters remain unaware of the details regarding the candidates goals and beliefs. 

Registered Voters Reaction To Recent Actions Taken By The Administration 

The survey also asked the voters how they felt about recent actions taken by the current administration. 

According to the Marquette Poll, 61% of all registered voters in Wisconsin disapprove of the current attacks on Iran. 97% of Democratic voters disapprove of the attacks on Iran while only 24% of Republican voters disapprove of the current attacks. 

It appears that the attacks in Iran are not considered to be favorable by either party among registered Wisconsin voters. 

The Marquette Poll also asked registered voters if they “approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president?”

48% of registered Wisconsin voters approve of President Trump’s actions during his duration in office, while 51% disapprove of the way President Trump is handling his presidency. 

“Trump retains his strong approval among Republicans, but his approval among independents has fallen to 26% and almost all Democrats disapprove,” said the Poll Release. 

Voter Reactions To Immigration Laws 

The Marquette Poll also asked a series of questions about how registered Wisconsin voters feel about illegal immigration and ICE in Wisconsin. The survey asked two different questions with slight changes in the wording to see if the terminology makes a difference. 

“Voters are asked two questions about deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally. One asks without qualification if the respondent favors deporting those in the country illegally,” according to Marquette Poll Release. “The other question adds the qualification “even if they have lived here for a number of years, have jobs, and no criminal record?””

57% of respondents favored deporting immigrants without any qualifications while only 39% favored deporting immigrants with qualifications. 

“Favorable views of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have only slightly changed from 41% in February to 40% in March, while unfavorable views edged up from 52% in February to 55% in March,” according to the Poll Release.