About the Progressive Voters Guide

A Better Wisconsin Together (ABWT) is a state-based research and communications hub for progressives.

Our messaging is research driven and targeted for maximum impact using cutting edge digital, earned, paid and social media strategies.

America’s communities never rest. Streets need cleaning. Families need care. Students deserve well-run schools, and our neighborhoods demand safety. That’s why people who work in public service never stop. This isn’t just a job. It’s a calling. The work matters because it means something to make a community better. AFSCME believes that every person working to sustain their community deserves respect. As part of the AFL-CIO, AFSCME is one of the nation’s leading advocates for working women and men. Our 1.6 million members provide the vital services that make America happen, and we believe everyone deserves a chance to fulfill the American dream. AFSCME is the union that honors solidarity without conformity, drawing each member’s story into a force of experience and commitment that can’t be ignored. That’s how we win better lives for ourselves, our families, and our communities. For people proudly committed to public service, we never quit. We are AFSCME, join us.

AFT-Wisconsin is a labor organization of professional public employees in the state of Wisconsin. Formerly called the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers, AFT-Wisconsin is a Wisconsin chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. Started primarily as a teachers’ union in 1931, AFT-Wisconsin today is comprised of many diverse professionals with over 500 job classifications, including members in the state PK-12 school system, the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), numerous state agencies, and the University of Wisconsin System.

Blue Sky Waukesha brings civics education to the people. We are a membership organization of people who share a set of values - we believe in equality for all; that civil rights and civil liberties must be celebrated and protected; that robust voting rights, freedom of information, public education, and accountability are the keys to a successful democracy; that society benefits from diversity; that unions build a stronger middle class; and that people are more important than money.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin organizes people to make Wisconsin a better place to live and work. Citizen Action employs an integrated strategy of grassroots organizing, public education, earned media, professional research, voter engagement, and political lobbying to advance progressive values and shape the public and political debate around health care, economic development, and consumer protection. Every year, Citizen Action generates hundreds of media stories, mobilizes thousands of citizens to participate in political advocacy, and engages hundreds of thousands of voters.

For more than 50 years, Clean Wisconsin has been working to preserve and protect Wisconsin’s clean water, clean air and natural heritage. With an active membership and advocacy base 20,000-strong, our dedicated staff of experts conducts sound science, engages in public policy, takes legal action, and fosters strong partnerships with allies and stakeholders to help ensure a safe, healthy environment for everyone.

EMILY’s List’s vision is to be a driving force of change in America. By electing more Democratic pro-choice women to national, state and local office, EMILY’s List will consistently infuse our government with leaders who will drive change. Change that truly matters today, tomorrow and forever.

We’re the largest gun violence prevention organization in America—and we’re winning.

By inspiring and engaging individuals and communities, the Human Rights Campaign strives to end discrimination against LGBTQ people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. HRC envisions a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people are ensured equality and embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

We are the only national organization dedicated to electing openly LGBTQ people who can further equality at all levels of government.

LPAC is the only organization whose mission is to elect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer women and nonbinary people. LPAC was founded in 2012 by a group of LGBTQ women seeking to create a place, and voice, at the power table for our community. We do this by endorsing and investing in candidates directly and supporting them through independent expenditure campaigns. We’ve raised more than $6.3 million and endorsed more than 150 candidates. And we’re just getting started. 

Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. We also work in our own communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership. 

Founded in 1955, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world. NASW works to enhance the professional growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance sound social policies.

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee is the centralized hub for executing a comprehensive redistricting strategy that shifts the redistricting power, creating fair districts where Democrats can compete.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI) is the advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, the state's largest and most trusted reproductive health care provider. PPAWI educates and lobbies on behalf of women’s health and works to elect candidates who support family planning and the full range of reproductive health care.

Progressive Turnout Project is the largest voter contact organization in the country, specifically dedicated to mobilizing the Democratic Party and defending democracy. Our mission: rally Democrats to vote.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Wisconsin State Council coordinates the legislative and political agenda for Wisconsin’s eight SEIU locals. SEIU is the nation’s largest and fastest growing union with 2.1 million members nationwide and over 10,000 members in Wisconsin. SEIU’s membership is among the most diverse in the labor movement and includes public sector, building services and health care employees. The State Council is responsible for developing and implementing, in coordination with the international and state locals, a statewide electoral, lobbying, and communications program for SEIU.

SMART Transportation Division is the largest railroad operating union in North America, with more than 500 Transportation locals. The SMART Transportation Division represents employees on every Class I railroad, as well as employees on many regional and shortline railroads. It also represents bus and mass transit employees on approximately 45 bus and transit systems and has recently grown to include airline pilots, dispatchers and other airport personnel.

The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW) is one of the largest and most diverse unions in North America, with members in virtually every sector of the economy. UAW-represented workplaces range from multinational corporations, small manufacturers and state and local governments to colleges and universities, hospitals and private non-profit organizations. The UAW has more than 400,000 active members and more than 580,000 retired members in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. There are more than 600 local unions in the UAW. The UAW currently has 1,150 contracts with some 1,600 employers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

The Wisconsin Education Association Council represents the public policy, labor and professional interests of its members. WEAC is a strong voice for its members and for the 865,000 children in Wisconsin public schools.

We are the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. Representing union members in the state of Wisconsin, we fight for social and economic justice for all people. We are a democratically elected body dedicated to representing the interests of all working people at the state and local level. As the labor movement, we fight to raise wages, improve workplace safety, protect worker freedom to collectively bargain and for strong contracts that build strong communities. We mobilize our members and community partners to advocate for social and economic justice and we strive daily to vanquish oppression and make our communities better for all people—regardless of race, color, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, or ethnic or national origin.

Wisconsin Conservation Voters envisions a healthy, beautiful Wisconsin for all to enjoy forever. To achieve that, Wisconsin Conservation Voters advocates for sound environmental laws and policies, holds elected officials accountable for their votes and actions, and elects pro-conservation candidates who will champion our priority issues. Wisconsin Conservation Voters is committed to ensuring who we are and who we work with reflects the state as a whole.

The Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance (WMCA) organizes voters and engages with elected officials to advance Muslim rights at the local, state, and federal levels. Our programs include civic educational events, voter turnout initiatives, and candidate training. 

We envision a Wisconsin that is a better, more equitable place to live, work, and raise a family. To meet that end, we recruit, train, elect and develop progressive candidates and leaders for local and state legislative office.