Welcome to 2008—a brand new year that will be an important year for our state and our nation. 2008 is an election year, not only for the national presidential election, but also for a number of local and state positions as well. And if the past year is any indication of what’s to come, it’s going to be a very busy year. The fate of the family in the nation and the state could be decided by the outcome of these races.

Wisconsin voters have some critical races coming up, starting on Tuesday, February 19, with the state Spring Non-Partisan Primary and the Presidential Preference Primary. On that day, voters will select the candidates for Wisconsin’s spring non-partisan general elections and will have their say on which presidential candidate the parties choose for the November ballot. Tuesday, April 1, is the general Spring Non-Partisan Election in Wisconsin. And, then, Tuesday, September 9, is our Fall Partisan Primary, followed by the Tuesday, November 4, Fall Partisan General Election for state offices and the presidential election.

The spring primary that is fast approaching will have only one statewide race and that will be for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Incumbent Justice Louis Butler, who was appointed to the state’s high court by Governor Doyle when Justice Diane Sykes was tapped for a federal judicial position, is up for election. To date, he is opposed by Charlie Schutze and Mike Gableman. The primary will reduce the field to two candidates. Many areas will have local primaries in addition to this statewide race and the presidential primary.

On April 1, Wisconsin voters will elect a state Supreme Court justice, three Court of Appeals judges and 39 Circuit Court judges in areas around the state, in addition to numerous mayors, city councils, town or village supervisors, county officials, and school board members.

Quite frankly, the Spring Election will be extremely important for Wisconsin families, especially if the Wisconsin Marriage Amendment case currently working its way through the courts eventually lands in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Wisconsin Family Council is producing a voter information publication on the candidates for the state Supreme Court race. This voter education piece will be available in the weeks leading up to the Spring Primary. We will also be distributing voter education material on the presidential primary. Knowing how candidates stand on a wide variety of issues helps Wisconsin voters be informed and responsible as they head to the polls early this year.

And now, turning to the fall elections, Wisconsin will hold its statewide Partisan Primary on September 9 th, 2008. Voters will nominate candidates for the November 4 th general election for all of the statewide partisan offices, as well as for their local partisan elected offices.

Again, much is at stake. All eight U.S. Congressional districts will be up for election. For the statewide elections, the even-numbered state senate districts, which is half of our State Senate and all 99 state assembly districts are up for election, as are a number of district attorney positions.

In mid-summer, Wisconsin Family Council will produce a Voter Information Publication (VIP) for all of the statewide offices for the September 9 th Partisan Primary. Following the Primary, we will edit the publication in time for the November General Election. To be sure you get a copy of these publications, contact our office to have your name added to the mailing list.

Friends, voting is the easiest—and one of the most important--ways to get involved in your local, state and national government. We have a responsibility to learn about the candidates and the issues on our ballot and to vote for those individuals who reflect our values and who will fulfill their responsibilities with integrity.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of these 2008 elections. Throughout the world, most people do not have the opportunity to elect their officials in a free-and-fair election process. Our ancestors, and our servicemen and women today, have sacrificed greatly for our freedom, for our form of government—for our right to vote into office those who represent us. The people we elect will write and interpret the law on marriage and family, on our religious freedom, our freedom of speech and our education system. This is our opportunity to influence the policies that will affect every area of our lives.

Will you join me in determining to make 2008 the year of the family by electing people who will uphold and defend the family in the state and in the nation? The state of the family is also the state of the state and the state of the nation—when families are strong, the state and the nation are strong as well. May God bless our families, our state and our nation in this New Year.

For Wisconsin Family Council, I’m Julaine Appling, reminding you the Prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.