Wisconsin Watch examines record spending in state Supreme Court elections, how Wisconsin became a national outlier and what can be done about it.

The Wisconsin Election Campaign Fund grew out of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1976 Buckley v. Valeo decision, which held that limits on campaign spending violated the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech — unless candidates voluntarily agreed to limit their spending in exchange for public financing.

Loose campaign finance laws, lax recusal rules, a purple electorate and even the spring election cycle all help explain why high court races have become so expensive.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission approved a request from Madison to adjust its response to last year's missing absentee ballots.

Political experts say voter enthusiasm on display in races earlier this month in New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere could point to a Democratic edge.

A conservative law firm has challenged Wisconsin's congressional map lawsuits, arguing that new drawing districts now would violate federal law ahead of the midterm elections.

Votebeat reports Wisconsin candidates can now withdraw from the ballot before elections, not just via death, improving voter clarity.