Common Cause Wisconsin

Thursday, April 11, 2013

New Redistricting Reform Legislation Could Advance With Bipartisan Support

Press Release

April 11, 2013

CONTACT:

Jay Heck – 608/256-2686

MUCH NEEDED REDISTRICTING REFORM LEGISLATION COULD BE
ENACTED SOON WITH BIPARTISAN SUPPORT

(Madison) – Bipartisan redistricting reform legislation expected to be unveiled this week would transform Wisconsin’s current secretive and expensive redistricting process to emulate Iowa’s non-partisan approach.

Common Cause in Wisconsin (CC/WI) strongly supports the legislation and believes it could be passed in the Wisconsin Legislature with bipartisan support and be in place for the next statewide redistricting process of state legislative and congressional districts in 2021.

“This issue is too important to be utilized as a partisan political weapon. Democrats refused to enact reform when they controlled the Wisconsin Legislature in 2009-10, prior to the last redistricting. In the last session, Democrats in Illinois and Republicans in Wisconsin took full advantage of their control to pass partisan, uncompetitive district maps, as has too often been the case across the country,” said Jay Heck, CC/WI’s executive director.

“Now, we are encouraged to see Wisconsin Republicans and Democrats joining together to support a non-partisan process like Iowa’s, that stipulates that a non-partisan legislative entity draws new state legislative and congressional district boundaries every ten years. The Iowa process produces many more competitive elections and enjoys the strong support of legislators and the full confidence of the citizens of Iowa – in an open, transparent process and at a fraction of the cost to taxpayers of Wisconsin’s current process,” Heck added.

The “Iowa Plan” has already received the support of Wisconsin newspapers such as the Wisconsin State Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Beloit Daily News and others. It also has the support of a growing number of former Republican and Democratic legislators and other public figures in Wisconsin. Citizens are supporting this reform in growing numbers as they learn more about it.

__________________________________________

Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703

608/256-2686

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

National Common Cause President Bob Edgar in Madison This Week for "All About Citizens United"

Press Release

April 10, 2013

Common Cause President Bob Edgar in Madison this Friday and Saturday
To Fight Back Against Misguided 2010 U.S. Supreme Court Decision

National Common Cause President Bob Edgar will be in Wisconsin this Friday and Saturday and will keynote a one-day event/conference on Saturday in Fitchburg entitled "All About Citizens United."

Edgar, Common Cause in Wisconsin Executive Director Jay Heck, Center for Media and Democracy Executive Director Lisa Graves, Wisconsin Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca and others will speak at the conference about the ramifications of the January, 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs. F.E.C. and what citizens can do to fight back.

Citizens United -- one of the worst decisions ever issued by the nation's highest court -- was narrowly decided by a bitterly-divided, razor-thin 5 to 4 margin. Reversing over a hundred years of settled law and three previous U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Citizens United opened the floodgates of corporate and labor union general treasuries and allowed outside special interest groups and billionaires to spend unlimited money to influence the outcome of federal and state elections.

As a result of this decision, campaign spending in the 2012 elections increased dramatically at the federal and state levels. American elections and public policy-making is awash in special interest campaign cash like never before.

Edgar has been the President of national Common Cause since 2007, was a former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1987, and a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1986. He will also speak for an hour on Friday, April 12th at 3:00 PM on the statewide Wisconsin Public Radio Ideas Network (AM 970 in Madison) about Citizens United. You can tune in and ask him questions on the program.

For more information, contact Jay Heck at 608/256-2686

__________________________________________

Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703

608/256-2686

Thursday, April 4, 2013

CC/WI Public Forum on Campaign & Election Reform Issues at UW-Whitewater on 4/22

Redistricting Reform

Disclosure of Money in Politics

The Citizens United Decision

Public Financing of Elections
Voter Photo ID

"What Ever Happened to Good Government in Wisconsin?
And How Can We Fix It?"

Monday, April 22, 2013

6:30 – 8:00 PM

University of Wisconsin at Whitewater
University Center - Summers Auditorium
800 West Main Street
Whitewater, Wisconsin

** Event is Free... and so are the cookies! **

Panelists: State Representative Andy Jorgensen (D-Fort Atkinson)
Bill Kraus, Republican Strategist and Common Cause in Wisconsin Chair
Anita Loch, Vice President of the Whitewater-Area League of Women Voters
Professor Kim Hixson, UW-Whitewater Communication Department Chair
and CC/WI Executive Director Jay Heck

Moderator: Professor Susan Johnson, UW-Whitewater Political Science Department Chair

Please come join in the discussion and learn more about:

Redistricting/Gerrymandering reform in Wisconsin – how do we do it?
Disclosure of interest-group “phony issue ads” and other “outside” spending – is this necessary or would it stifle “free speech”?
How is the U.S. Supreme Court decision on Citizens United vs F.E.C affecting Wisconsin?
Will the new Voter Photo ID suppress voter fraud or voters?
Is Public Financing of our state elections needed?
Should we Elect or Appoint Wisconsin's Supreme Court Justices?