How Democracy Itself Ended Up on the Ballot in Wisconsin

Over the last decade, Wisconsin has become an extreme experiment in single-party rule. Republican officials have redrawn the state’s election districts and rewritten laws to ensure their domination of the state’s legislature.

In Tuesday’s elections, those officials are asking voters for the final lever of power: control over the entire system of voting. 

Guest: Reid J. Epstein, a reporter covering elections and campaigns for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

In Wisconsin, a 50-50 battleground state, Republicans are close to capturing supermajorities in the State Legislature that would render the Democratic governor irrelevant even if he wins re-election.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.