Celebrating the Constitutionality of Ballot Drop Boxes: All Hands on Deck (Part 2 of 2)
Nick Ramos, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
by Jonathan Gramling
Since 1995, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has been fighting to keep Wisconsin’s elections equitable and fair, primarily as a watchdog of money in Wisconsin politics, but also other measures that prevent people from voting. A self-described coalition of individuals and organizations, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has had a lot of victories including campaigning for fair maps fighting to overturning Citizens United and defending the freedom to vote by fighting legislative proposals that would limit people’s access to the vote. One of the most recent fights that they engaged in was the ability of municipalities to use absentee voter drop off boxes.
The first three executive Directors were well-known activists: Gail; Shea, Mike McCabe and Matt Rothschild. In August 2023, Nick Ramos was appointed the fourth executive director and the first person of color to hold the post.
Ramos is a very enthusiastic person, almost a cheerleader rallying the troops in addition to his stellar academic and professional background. Fighting for campaign finance reform and the preservation of democracy were the last things on Ramos’ mind when he came to Wisconsin.
“I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio,” Ramos said. “It’s funny because July this year is my 10 year anniversary of me living in Wisconsin. I originally moved here to go to Marquette Law School and I never left. I fell in love with this place. I never thought I could love a city as much as I did Cleveland. But I fell in love with Milwaukee and lived there for 10 years. After I graduated from Marquette, I got involved heavily into politics and civic engagement. That wasn’t always the plan. I originally was planning on becoming a CHIPS attorney, representing the best interests of kids in cases where they are in need of protective services.”
But Ramos’ career plans changed in 2016 when the full impact and possible consequences of Donald Trump getting elected President of the United States became apparent.
“I saw something that I didn’t think I would have to witness as far as an existential crisis of this thing we call democracy,” Ramos said. “And I know that feels really dramatic, but I felt it in the pit of my stomach when I heard some of the rhetoric and I saw some of the behavior. I dropped what I was doing. I was on track to become a guardian ad litem here in the state of Wisconsin. And I said, ‘You know what, I want to get involved and I know I should have gotten involved a lot sooner.’ As a three-year law student, I wanted to be doing something to try and push back against someone who was doing a lot of fear-mongering and was talking about doing things that would be really harmful to the people and the communities that I love and live in. And so, I remember the election went very south. If anything in 2016, I felt my calling in life.”
While Ramos worked on campaigns in his free time, he went to work for the city of Milwaukee when he graduated.
“I worked for Mayor Tom Barrett in Milwaukee for four years before he left for Luxembourg to be ambassador for the United States,” Ramos said. “And then I joined an organization called Vote Riders. I ran the Wisconsin operation where I was just helping people get IDs and birth certificates and social security cards so that they could participate in our democracy and cast a ballot that counts because we live in a strict voter ID state. And I ended up just staying engaged in political campaigns and working in government. I remember vividly as a voter protection fellow in 2016 and that was my first job politically, feeling that the voter ID law was something that really disenfranchised a ton of people whom I had engaged with doing that work and so I wanted to get back to it. Vote Riders gave me the opportunity to do that.”
And then last year, Ramos got the nod to be Wisconsin Democracy Campaign’s fourth executive director.
“I’m really proud to be the first Black and first Hispanic executive director in the 29-year history of this organization,” Ramos said. “It’s something that I wear with a lot of pride. It’s not lost on me. In this space, I don’t see a lot of people who look like me. To be 32-years-old and doing it, I called my mom and my grandmother reminded me. She sent me a text the other day, ‘Hey when you gave us the big news that you got the job, I am so proud of you.’ It just reminds me that we’ve come a long way. And I know that I have to carry this legacy and I have to do right and I have to make sure I’m doing everything in my power to continue to move the ball forward.”
Ramos’ blend of a legal education combined with his grassroots organizing experience make him uniquely suited for the job.
“Prior to my tenure, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign was very heavy into advocacy and lobbying,” Ramos said. “Many of the executive directors before me were prolific writers and very brilliant individuals who wrote about politics and the ways in which we can advance the ball forward when working with legislators. I think what I bring to the table that is unique is my grassroots background. I’m an organizer at heart. I think many people in this space would tell you that during my 11 months at the helm, I’m still keeping the lobbying and the advocacy part of it as a core tenet. But my vision is that we need to make sure that we are doing everything in our power to have a really strong grassroots organizing function and core to this organization.”
Ramos is very serious about making an impact from the bottom up.
“I take it really seriously when we are talking about ballot drop boxes or accountability campaigns when people are trying to suppress the vote of Black and Brown people in this state,” Ramos said. “Or we are talking about trying to get fair maps for people. I really want to see people have representation at every level because it really does mean something. These aren’t just faceless people. We all deserve to be heard here. There are a lot of politicians and a lot of elected officials who for years have chosen to ignore people. And people haven’t forgotten that. People are now showing up. They haven’t stopped showing up, but I think the resilience of the grassroots movement here in Wisconsin is the reason that we get to enjoy the victories and the success that we are now seeing. They stayed committed to the fight. It’s easy to be jaded, but they continued to push forward. I ride on the shoulders of all of that.”
And so, in the coming years, Wisconsin will see a different Wisconsin Democracy Campaign effort. While it will continue to try to influence legislation and keep money out of politics, it will be done as much in Wisconsin’s neighborhoods as it will be in the State Capitol.
“I am spending a lot of time in the activism side of things and making sure that we are getting people engaged and meeting people where they are and talking with them about the issues and also listening to them about the issues,” Ramos said. “I want to hear from people in every 72 counties. I want to hear about what matters to them and get a sense of what they think democracy is because it helps guide the work. I think people will see during my tenure as executive director that it will be spent really rolling up our sleeves and being very heavily involved with grassroots-led initiatives.”
Creating a strong, broad foundation within Wisconsin politics ought to pay off in basic democratic rights being protected well in the future. And Nick Ramos will be there poring the cement that will bind people in the protection of freedom and democracy for many years to come.
