Small Crowd Gathered to Protest and Encourage Voting on April 5

A small crowd of about 25 gathered on Fri., April 1 to once again protest Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill and his proposed biennial budget, but this time, there were also a number of people broadcasting the message, "Vote."

Mount Pleasant resident Kelly Gallagher was wearing an overcoat made of red, white, and blue colored tape that proclaimed, "Vote."

"The message is to get out and vote," she said. "When 63 percent turnout is considered great, we have work to do. It's important that no matter how people end up voting, that they just get out and do it. Vote."

Tyrone Richmond is a state corrections officer from Milwaukee. He said he came down to participate because his family is going to hit twice since his wife is a school teacher, and he's not just talking about their bottom line.

"By taking away collective bargaining, the legislature is taking away our right to overtime and affecting the amount of time we can spend with our families," he said. "We were ready to make the financial sacrifice, but this goes too far."

Jim Deuster of Racine was also holding a simple, "Vote" sign. He said he wants as many people to vote on April 5 as possible.

"It's important that we get candidates like Kloppenburg and Hall elected to start to turn the tide," he said.