In Wisconsin, resistance came about recently after a bill was introduced in the Legislature that proponents said would streamline the process for towns to withdraw from countywide zoning. As originally written, the legislation would have made any vote by town residents on opting out advisory rather than binding, taking the decision out of the hands of voters and giving it to the town board.

As the Republican-controlled Legislature advanced the legislation, residents of the town of Middleton in Dane County caught wind of what was happening. They wanted to send a clear signal that the town should protect the right of residents to have a say. Dissatisfied with what they saw as failures of focus and advocacy on the part of the town chairman and a key Town Board member, challengers stepped forward to highlight the local democracy issues that came into play as the state Assembly was considering the zoning bill in March.

But the April 4 election was only a few weeks away, and the filing deadline to get on the ballot had passed. So the local-democracy candidates had to mount write-in bids.