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Voting changes could undermine local elections
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| Kedzie can be reached in Madison at P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI, 53707-7882 or by calling toll-free 1 (800) 578-1457. He may be reached in the district at (262) 742-2025 or on-line at www.senatorkedzie.com. |
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April 22, 2009 | 10:35 AM
State Senator
Local government is considered to be government closest to the people. What happens at the city council, village or town board, or even school board often affects peoples' lives more directly than action taken by the state or federal government.
The spring election is often times the most valuable of the election cycle and can be one of the most important voting decisions made. Recently, citizens across the state had the opportunity to consider and vote for those individuals who wish to represent them at the local level as well as a number of local referenda.
You should be aware an effort is underway in the Legislature to make such elections a thing of the past. Assembly Joint Resolution 2 (AJR 2) seeks to add nonpartisan, local races to the November general election and effectively do away with the spring election. While this idea is being touted for greater democracy and voter turnout, I believe it would lead to a number of problems.
First, combining all elections onto one ticket will likely cause great confusion on Election Day. Judges, school board officials, village, town, county and state government positions, congressional, presidential and gubernatorial races — not to mention all local and state referendums — could be included on one ticket.
Voters would be faced with countless decisions while standing in the voting booth, and as we have learned from previous national elections, heavier ballot information and numerous candidates can lead to discrepancies and errors for both voters and voting officials.
Second, political advertisements on television or radio, in newspapers, front yards, and mailboxes, would completely saturate the airwaves and the electorate, creating nonstop solicitations and a bombardment of information for voters to absorb. Phone calls, door to door visits, debates, candidate forums, rallies, and other 'get-out-the-vote' efforts for every local, state and federal election would occur at one time.
Thus, local races could be drowned out in a sea of high-octane and heavily-funded state and national campaigns, potentially leading to even greater voter apathy.
Supporters of AJR 2 argue the spring election typically sees low voter turnout and thus, a small percentage of the electorate determines the outcome. While historically that may be true, I do not share their belief that the democratic process is impeded or harmed through the Spring election. Democracy allows the voters a choice, which includes the choice not to vote. Eliminating voting days just because voter turnout may be low is not sound public policy.
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Another election change proposal would allow 17 year olds the right to vote in state and local elections. Currently, eligible Wisconsin residents who are 18 or older may participate on voting day. This idea to low the voting age is being promoted as an effort to increase voter turnout, but it is also rife with problems.
For all intents and purposes, 17-year-olds do not pay taxes, own a home, property or business, and do not have the same responsibilities as most adults.
Typically, 17 year olds are in their senior year of high school and still maturing. Although they may have participated in a civics class, they often are not familiar with local elected offices and may not comprehend the immense responsibility that comes with voting. The author of this proposal believes it is a necessary change in order to provide young people with an appreciation for the democratic process and instill a sense of civic duty. A fair sentiment, but if that is the case, why not allow voters younger than 17 to vote?
If both of these ideas were successfully adopted, the law of unintended consequences would come into play. Because federal law does not allow 17-year-olds to vote in national elections, voting officials would have to generate two sets of ballots on Election Day: one for those over 18 and one for those under 18. Further, those officials would need to verify the age of the voter at the polls.
That could be accomplished if Wisconsin required a photo ID in order to vote, but unfortunately, the author of this proposal does not support such a requirement.
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Both measures require a change to the state Constitution in order to become law, meaning passage by two consecutive legislatures and a statewide referendum. Not an easy task, to be certain.
Whatever the future may be for both proposals, I do not believe such revisions to Wisconsin's election laws are warranted, particularly when the sanctity of government closest to the people is at stake.
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