WACEP President's Message
October 2020
Ryan Thompson, MD, FACEP

Another election cycle is upon us, in case that wasn’t already abundantly apparent by the barrage of political ads that have taken over our televisions and airwaves! Ahh, the joys of living in a swing state.

Despite the commercial fatigue, the outcome of this election will no doubt shape the future of our specialty for years to come. Both state and federal elections have significant impacts on health and fiscal policy, as well as the potential to upend legislative priorities. Of course, WACEP does not endorse any specific candidate or party, and we are committed to working with whoever is willing to help us to better the care of WI patients and make the state a more appealing place for emergency physicians to practice. That being said, we do necessarily shift our strategies and priorities to what we can most effectively get done with any given group of legislators in power.

This promises to be a unique election, with the COVID pandemic raging all around our state. Many people have likely already voted absentee, but if you haven’t, there are still a lot of options open to you. If you are already registered, you can request an absentee ballot online at myvote.wi.gov by October 29th, although be aware they have to be returned by November 3rd at 8pm in order to be counted. If you aren’t interested in voting by mail, early voting starts on October 20th and runs until November 1st in most areas. Early voter registration can occur in-person until October 30th. And of course, you can always both register and vote on election day at your local polling place, although be aware that long lines may be expected at some polling places.

Depending on where you live in the state, there may still be a need for poll workers to assist on election day. Who better than emergency physicians to don PPE, stay on their feet all day, and manage large volumes of people? If you are interested in signing up to be a poll worker, you can learn more here.

Vote your conscious, vote for the candidate who will help your patients, vote your party, vote on a single issue, vote on many issues, vote of the candidate with the best hair, it doesn’t matter. Just VOTE!