Auntie ABATE / "Cuz" Report - October 2026
Dear Cuz,
I think I’m like most people and I’m sick to death of this year’s election. Who do I believe, who can I trust, should I even bother to vote at all?
Fed Up with being Fed Lies
Dear Fed Up,
Exercise your freedom to vote. Vote in the ABATE of Wisconsin election. Vote on November 3. Vote any time you get the opportunity to vote and be grateful that the freedom to vote and make informed decisions is yours.
While you may feel like you have little impact on national elections, please vote. As the election draws nearer, it is important to learn what you can about the candidates, enabling you to cast an educated vote. You CAN have an impact on local elections.
What I would like to rant on at this time is my extreme disappointment in the American election environment as a whole. It feels like the only way you’re going to see common sense and civility in an election anymore is to watch a rerun of the old sit-com of your choice. Remember the days when Archie Bunker was about the most out-spoken person on TV? How I long for those simpler times.
In my less-than-humble opinion, social media and the 24-7 news cycles are the worst places to obtain an educated vote. I try to stay away from the “spoon feeding news” on social media which isn’t really news, it’s just a bunch of
opinions that may or may not be true and that whip around at a record pace at the speed of a click.
I tend to form my political opinions by talking to people who are willing to discuss more than one side of an issue civilly. If I don’t know anything about a candidate, I try to meet up with them and ask them a few questions about the things that are most important for me. And in local elections, I watch for their profiles in our local papers - not their paid ads, but profiles that the papers run where all candidates are asked and answer the same questions. I also found some interviews that were helpful to me on a website called wiseye.org.
Below, I’m sharing what Chubby wrote in this publication back in 2012. It is still true today...
“As a member of a motorcyclists’ rights organization, I would be happy if I convinced every one of you to go to the polls this November. But we have the unique opportunity to show our legislators, or future legislators, who we are and what we believe in during this campaign season. Take the time to call a candidate that you believe in and ask how you can help. Helping can be as simple as putting up a yard sign or as difficult as organizing a fundraiser. Check with your Regional Rep and ask if any candidates have been invited to speak at a meeting and maybe help by following up with your candidate. Any help is appreciated by candidates, and it sure helps when we call them to ask for their support. I’ve always been shocked at the amount of people that don’t find voting important, but nowadays I’m even more shocked at the amount of research people put into a candidate’s background before they go to the polls. We have reached the information age, but some people still prefer to get all hyped up on campaign rhetoric to make their choices. ABATE of WI has given all of us the tools to follow the actions of our legislators for their entire term, so there should be no surprises when it comes time to vote. There are many issues to consider when deciding who to vote for and I hope you have weighed the positives and negatives before making your choice. Sometimes a candidate does not support everything that you believe in, so you might have to do some soul searching to decide what things are most important to you before you make your trip to the polls.”
In short - learn as much truth as you can, help the good ones when you can, and above all VOTE.
Your ever loving “Cuz,”
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