Everyone of us– regardless if we are Republican or Democrat–makes the same augment, often in heated tones. We want government to work, and desire our elected officials to be smart and competent. Voters have high expectations about those we place in office, and are not slow to criticize when someone fails to perform the way we want. But what degree of responsibility do the voters have when it comes to the lack of awareness over the issues of the day? What happens when the misguided and inaccurate ideas of the citizenry only embolden the heated rhetoric and misguided polices to be ramped up by the elected ones we heap scorn upon? Such is the case that is now taking place in Wisconsin when it comes to the dreadful outcome of the recent federal court ruling over the voter ID law. Last week another of the much anticipated polls from the Marquette Law School was released. And not for the first time did the sampling weigh in heavily, this time at 61%, supporting the ID requirement when casting a ballot. If you listen to the reasons for such widespread backing for the law you will hear over and over the refrain that the law is needed so to construct a needed wall against voter fraud. Governor Scott Walker stated after the the federal appeals court ruling that now it is “easier to vote and harder to cheat.” Republicans have continually and exhaustingly repeated the idea that there are many illegal votes being cast that are undermining our democracy. The problem with the Republican partisan spin, and the fact that the average voter needs to know is that voter fraud and impersonation is not happening in the manner that is claimed and poses no threat to our state. This whole sorry episode that has consumed so much public attention has always been simply a GOP partisan tactic. But the public has been slow to come to grips with the facts of the voter ID law, and what is really at play when Republicans work overtime to depress turnout and prohibit people from voting. At some point, however, we need to stop blaming politicians or political parties and look into the mirror to get a better sense of what is wrong in Wisconsin. There is no shortage of ways to be informed about state news or the policy fights of the day. Countless newspapers are printed and internet information is only a mouse click away. If people have enough time to watch the Packers be defeated in a nearly 3 hour game they have time to understand that no large volume of arrests have been made for voter fraud and that no court records exist of judges hearing cases about voter impersonation. There is no way to justify why 61% of the public thinks voter ID is a valid law. By not arming oneself with the facts about (in this case the voter ID law) and allowing only the assumptions repeated ad nauseam by Republicans has now placed our state, and I would argue one of our most treasured rights come this November’s election, in a most dreadful place. And yes, while it is politicians who created the ID law, and spin it in the face of the facts, it is the voters who seemingly refuse to come to terms with their role in our democracy who also must be held accountable. Taking the time to separate out the wheat from the chaff–the facts from the falsehoods–is part of the responsibility of those who call themselves a Wisconsin citizen. When we fail to do that fact-checking we only allow those who have placed us in this situation to believe they can continue. They will unless they are stopped by arming ourselves with the facts.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 00:54:11 +0000
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