Joe Plouff
First, I’m a candidate for the 92nd Assembly District, and I urge you to ‘just say no’ on both Amendments when you vote on August 13. The Amendments as proposed will have lasting negative consequences for state residents and are simply a means of ensuring the policy priorities of the current gerrymandered Republican majority will extend into the future, even if, under new fair maps, they lose their majorities.
Background:
1) Why this August? Since 1854, amendments to the Constitution have been placed on either the spring or fall elections, which feature big-name races. Simply put, this is the ballot where the fewest possible number of Wisconsin voters will come to the polls, which the Amendments authors think will make them more likely to pass. They really don’t think your opinion matters.
2) Both amendments are designed to move decisions regarding billions of dollars of federal grant money that have been under the governor’s office since 1931 to the legislature. This is yet another power grab by the Republican-controlled legislature since Wisconsin elected Tony Evers as governor.
3) Both amendments were passed through the legislature without hearings and along party-line votes.
More Background:
1) The legislature currently is controlled by the Republicans with a 64 to 35 split in the Assembly. Currently, all statewide offices are held by Democrats, led by Tony Evers, who is governor. How can that be? This phenomenon has a name – Gerrymandering. What does this look like in practice? In 2022, the Democrats won 45 % of the vote, translating to only 35 seats in the Assembly, or 35% of the Assembly. Running statewide on the same ballot, Tony Evers won 51% of the vote. This gerrymandered advantage has allowed the Republicans to have a near-total grip on the Assembly and the Senate. This changed this past year when the State Supreme Court ruled the 2022 maps to be illegal, and the Republicans in the Legislature decided to cut their losses and adopt the Governor’s map. These new maps should be more competitive going forward. With these proposed amendments, the Republican leadership hopes to continue governing from a minority position (think South Africa) and is pulling every lever to keep it that way.
Why it matters:
1) Whether you are Republican or Democrat, if your village gets hit by a tornado or a flood, you want the government to respond. Preferably as soon as possible. Since 1931, the governor has had the authority to mobilize state and federal resources to bring aid most efficiently and timely. The Governor has every incentive to do this because he/she is answerable to all the state's voters.
2) These two amendments move this authority from the Governor’s office to the legislature. This puts a political spin on the response. Will the party in control play politics with federal emergency funds? Will they tend to punish areas of the state that elect the other side? Yes, they will; have you met Robin Vos? Speaker Vos has a tight grip on our area GOP legislators. If Robin Vos wants to move cash from northern WI to Racine County. Remember, no one can stop him. Remember the money that could have been used to fix the roads here that went into FoxConn?
3) Finally, it is absurd to be littering the Constitution with articles that amount to partisan score-settling. The Republicans, however, know their positions on many issues are unpopular, and they are hoping to extend their current electoral advantage by changing the rules. Perhaps they will regret their ‘wins’ should the parties' positions change hands at some point in the future, but that seems not to bother them now.
So, please make sure you turn out for the primary on August 13 and vote no on Question 1 and Question 2. While you are there, I would appreciate your vote as well.
League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Education Association Council
Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments & Boards
Wisconsin Conservation Voters
Wisconsin Public Health Association
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
For more information:
https://my.lwv.org – look for Constitutional Corner, August …
https://www.therecombobulationarea.news - article by Phil Rocco, Assoc. Prof of Political Science, Marquette University.
Joe Plouff
Joe Plouff for Assembly
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