Now is the summer of our .... writing letters to Ohio? Yep. Wisconsin does not have any more elections (knock wood) until February, 2024. But we cannot afford to estivate (i.e., go to sleep for the next 6 months). There's always an election somewhere, right? And while we cannot chase our tails about each and every one, the referendum taking place in Ohio is so important to our democracy that we should not pass it up.

Here's what's going on. The Ohio legislature — which like ours is totally gerrymandered and a wholly owned subsidiary of the MAGA mob — wants the voters of Ohio to amend the state's constitution so that it becomes harder for citizen-initiated proposals to pass. In Ohio, amendments to the constitution can either be legislature-referred or be citizen-initiated. Currently both types of proposed amendments require 50%+1 yes votes to be approved. The August 8 referendum — a legislative-referred amendment proposal — would change three rules for passing a citizen-initiated amendment.

According to Wikipedia, a YES vote would mean:

• Increasing the number of counties from which signatures are required to get an amendment on the ballot from 44 counties (50%) to all 88 counties (100%).
• Removing the 10-day cure period to fix any errors in the collected signatures.
• Increasing the passing percentage from 50%+1 of the vote to 60% on citizen-initiated referendums, but keeping the passing percentage at 50%+1 of the vote for legislature-initiated referendums.

A NO vote on Issue 1 keeps the Ohio Constitution as is:

• Keeps the number of counties from which signatures are required to get an amendment on the ballot at 44 counties (50%).
• Keeps the 10-day cure period to fix any errors in the collected signatures.
• Maintains the passing percentage of a citizen-initiated referendum at a simple majority (50%+1 vote).
• Does not create a difference between citizen-initiated referendums and legislature-initiated referendums.

Although the legislature SAYS this proposal is not aimed at any particular issue, it's clear that it's an attempt to stop Ohio voters from passing an amendment that "would establish a state constitutional right to 'make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,' including decisions about abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and continuing pregnancy" (Ballotpedia). The groups working to get an abortion rights amendment on the Ohio constitution "delivered nearly double the number of signatures needed to place an amendment on the fall statewide ballot, aiming to signal sweeping widespread support for an issue that still faces the threat of needing a significantly increased victory margin" (PBS News Hour, July 5, 2023). This sort of protection for women's rights is pretty popular in Ohio, as it has been elsewhere. But maybe not popular enough to pass a 60% threshold.

Needless to say, the proposed amendment is a direct and potent hit on Ohio citizens' ability to change their constitution. As Common Cause Ohio notes, the legislatively-referred constitutional amendment "is an attempt by powerful legislators to fool voters into giving away their power, so politicians can get what they want, instead of what the people want. Eliminating majority rule would mean that a minority of voters could override the will of the people, and would strengthen the power of the state legislature at the expense of the voters."

• Increasing the number of votes to pass a citizen-initiated amendment from 50%+1 to 60% simply means that a minority of citizens can block what a majority of citizens want.
• Requiring petition signatures from all 88 counties, instead of the 44 now needed, means that one county can prevent a petition from appearing on the ballot even if the people in the other 87 counties want it.
• Passing this constitutional amendment would give the legislature more power and would seriously undermine citizens' rights, taking one more giant step away from our representative democracy.

Two other states, Arkansas and South Dakota, placed similar measures on the ballot. And both were defeated. 

The effort in Ohio is just one of many ways to create and bolster minority rule. We've seen efforts to reduce voter turnout among college students (Cleta Mitchell saying the quiet part out loud) and to suppress the votes of minority communities (Robert Spindell, a Republican member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, crowing about the work Republicans did to suppress the Black and Hispanic vote in Milwaukee).

At the federal level, the structure of the Senate and the Electoral College both work against majority rule. Wyoming, with its population of fewer than 600,000, has as many senators as California, with a population of nearly 39 million. So their voting power in the US Senate is the same. And because the number of votes in the Electoral College each state receives is a sum of the number of the state's Representatives in the House plus the two to account for the US senators, the representational weight of one vote in a small population state — like Wyoming (3), Delaware (3), West Virgina (4), Rhode Island (4) and many others — is much greater than the representational weight of one vote in a populous state like California (54).

In his book, Laboratories of Autocracy, David Pepper "explains how gerrymandering in 2010 has fueled a decade of corruption and rigged elections" (The Cascadia Advocate, February 27, 2022). And gerrymandering is a big piece of why the Ohio legislature wants to pass its anti-democratic constitutional change. The result of aggressive partisan gerrymandering is a legislature full of unaccountable legislators, representatives who are virtually unbeatable at the ballot box. Since these people face no credible competition, they are free to pass legislation that the majority of a state's citizens oppose. And when the governor of the state comes from the same political party, the hateful legislation becomes law. In Wisconsin, exactly this process brought us Act 10! In Wisconsin's November 2024 election, Democrats won 53% of the votes overall for the Assembly but Republicans sit in 63 of the 99 seats because our state's election maps skew that heavily toward Republican districts.

SO TAKE ACTION. This is the final week of the special election in Assembly District 24. Election Day is Tuesday, July 18. Grassroots North Shore sent out almost 6,000 postcards and has made the same number of phone calls to promote Democrat Bob Tatterson to fill the currently open seat. The Events list below is chock full of opportunities to canvass for him in Germantown, Grafton, Menomonee Falls, and Mequon. For those of us in the North Shore, there's a convenient staging location for you to pick up a list and some lit. So don't sit on your hands this weekend or on Monday and Tuesday next week. Click on a link and take a step (really a bunch of them) to make Wisconsin's legislature a bit better!

OK, so maybe like me you can no longer canvass the way you once did. Here's something else you can do. Help out in Ohio. Vote Forward has mounted a letter-writing campaign to urge citizens in Ohio to vote "no" on Issue 1 in the special election on August 8. The organization provides the names and addresses as well as a template for your letters. Why is this organization engaged in trying to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment? Here's their answer: "Vote Forward is engaging in this special election because this proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution is an attack on democracy, and on the power of every Ohioan's vote. We're making sure voters understand what's at stake in this special election, and encouraging young women voters in particular to turn out and vote to make their voices heard." You can take part in this important effort to strengthen democracy in Ohio. Read the Vote Forward instructions and then sign up! (The sample letter on the page is the one they use for regular elections, not the referendum in Ohio.) Early voting has already started in Ohio. So there's no time to lose!

EVENTS

Friday, July 14

Saturday, July 15

Sunday, July 16

Monday, July 17

Tuesday, July 18

Wednesday, July 19

Thursday, July. 20

Friday, July. 22

Wisconsin Justice Summit, 10:00am - 8:00pm
First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave, Madison
What if we all focused on four things… and when we were ready worked on three or four more? What if we strategically did all we could collectively do to end: (1) U.S. war-mongering, (2) environmentally destructive systems, (3) injustices and inequities of all forms, and (4) the erosion of our democracy. Yes, they are big goals. But unless we unite, we will very likely not amass the power that we need to stand up to the big money and the lies that have led to massive, multi-level confusion, pain and gross injustice in our society.Help make July 22 the next step towards our realizing the mass movement that we need now. See more information about this event.

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, July 29

Cartoon Skills Workshop with Eric Orner, 10:00 - 11:30am
Milwaukee Public Library, Good Hope Branch, 7715 Good Hope Rd, Milwaukee
Learn to bring your cartoon characters to life during this fast-paced and interactive 90-minute workshop. Eric Orner has worked as a Disney animator and his published comic strips and illustrations have appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, and The New Republic. In 2021, Metropolitan Books published his graphic novel, Smahtguy:The Life and Times of Barney Frank. For ages 10+. Registration requested.

Wisconsin Dems Park Cleanup! 11:00am - 1:00pm
Noyes Park, 8235 Good Hope Rd, Milwaukee
Come join your fellow Democrats at 11AM Saturday July 29th, at Noyes Park for a little tidying up! Let's all take some pride in making this staple of the community a sight to see and who knows, you might even meet some new people in the area! Make sure to bring a friend or two! Sign up.

One Smaht Guy: A Biography of Barney Frank, 2:00 - 3:30pm
Milwaukee Public Library, Good Hope Branch, 7715 Good Hope Rd, Milwaukee
Author Eric Orner will read from and talk about his graphic novel, “Smahtguy,” a biography of Barney Frank, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Eric is a former Congressional aide to Frank. He is also the creator of The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green, one of the country’s first and longest-running gay comic strips. Eric has also published comic strips and illustrations in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, and The New Republic. His cartoon story “Weekends Abroad” was included in Houghton Mifflin’s Best American Comics 2011. Books will be available for purchase from Boswell Books.

Tuesday, August 1

Investiture of Justice Janet Protasiewicz, 4:30pm
Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison
We worked hard to get her there. And she worked even harder. With an 11% victory, we all deserve a party! The investiture will take place in the State Capitol building. (If you want a seat, be sure to arrive early.) It will be followed by a reception on Monona Terrace. Please RSVP.

Saturday, August 5

Brown Deer Dem Team Launch, 12:00 - 2:00pm
Kurt Schulz Deli & Pastry Shoppe, 8752 N Deerwood Dr, Brown Deer
Join other Democrats in your area to launch a Brown Deer volunteer action team! We will be getting together, talking politics, and planning out what we can do to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in 2024. No need to sign up. Just come!

Sunday, August 6

Whitefish Bay/Shorewood Bridge Building Canvassing, 12:00 - 3:00
4845 N Newhall St, Whitefish Bay
Join the Whitefish Bay and Shorewood Dems for a volunteer meetup and neighborhood canvass! We'll be talking to voters about the issues that matter most to them ahead next year's crucial elections. First time canvassing? No problem! Our organizer will walk you through everything you need to know to knock doors. All you need to bring is yourself, your best walking shoes, and a fully charged phone. Sign up.

Friday - Monday, September 1 - 4

The Golden Rule, an historic sailboat, docks in Milwaukee
The Golden Rule, a storied sailboat that helped bring about an end to atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, will stop in Milwaukee Sept. 1-4 as part of a 15-month, 11,000-mile voyage to inform and educate the public about the dangers of nuclear weapons proliferation. A number of public events will be held, and speakers / crew members will be available for presentations at schools, churches or other venues during the four-day visit. Boat tours and visits with the crew will be offered every afternoon. (See a real-time map of the boat's journey.) The Golden Rule is a project of Veterans For Peace.

other important links

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