WI Sec of State - CALL TO ACTION re LaFollette's position

[Lefta Dissenter]

Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug LaFollette has taken a lot of heat from the right wingers for his refusal to publish Walker's illegal and crushing law. Now we need to help Doug, as well as the future of Wisconsin by fighting to protect the position of Secretary of State.

Doug LaFollette's FB post today:

HI,

Well today I met with the Wisconsin Bar Association to ask for their help to stop walker from ripping apart the Sec. of State's Office. They said that they most likely would not take a position on this issue -- Hoot

So it is up to you all and your friends to contact the Joint Finance members about the governor's plan to rip apart the Sec. of State's office.

Please contact them if you can and pass this notice on to your friends.

http://www.sos.state.wi.us/

A good address to reach all of them.

[e-mail]

Thank you very much, Doug

PLEASE take a few minutes to send an email to the address he gave, asking that the Secretary of State position be preserved and protected as it is.

[EC]

1. Haven't heard about this

what can they do? Isn't the SOS position part of the state's charter in their State Constitution? Are they trying to eliminate the position or what?

[PeaceNikki]

4. More info:

The Governor is proposing in his budget bill to remove two critical responsibilities from the Secretary of State’s office.

These are the issuance of Notary Commissions and the filing of Trademarks. These functions are performed by 47 and 46 Secretaries of State respectively throughout the United States. The removal of these responsibilities from the Wisconsin Secretary of State would lead to great confusion in particular for the business and legal communities.

If this is allowed to happen it would cause disruption of these and other important services. There would no longer be Notary and Trademark/Trade Name information, search functions, or application material online at the Office of the Secretary of State website. Also, the removal of these responsibilities from the Office of the Secretary of State could result in delays issuing notary commissions, processing applications for Trademarks and Trade Names, and providing Apostilles and authentications to families for adoptions and to corporations. It would also result in reduced service both in person and by telephone.

In addition, elected officials such as the Secretary of State are much more responsive and accountable to the citizens than large agencies with appointed heads.

[EC]

5. thanks... n/t

[Armstead]

7. But what do Walker's buddies get out of it?

Seems like businesspeople would want some clarity in such things.

[robinlynne]

9. My guess is they would own it. he is proposing that HE decide who is in charge of

these functions. Now it is an elected official with a certain amount of transparency.

[glinda]

6. Is this against the State's Constitution? Is this a Federal violation?

[EC]

8. I would think so.. n/t

[glinda]

12. Isn't it then a crime?

[Snoutport]

2. kr important stuff!

[PeaceNikki]

3. lol, just posted this in WI forum.

:hi:

[Scuba]

10. Here's mine... plus a pic of SOS LaFollette

Dear Member of the Joint Finance Committee,Please do not include any item in your budget that would change the current structure or function of the Secretary of State Office.

I believe the Secretary of State is a vital cog in Wisconsin democracy and the Office should not be disbanded or otherwise disabled.

Thanks,

Scuba

Here's SOS LaFollette with one of the protesters in Madison.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

11. Something's been bothering me - Most states have the SoS Certify elections

...think of the nefarious Katherine Harris of Florida 2000, and Blackwell of Ohio 2004. Yet Wisconsin doesn't give that power to the elected SoS, but instead gives it to the GAB, headed by Kevin Kennedy who was appointed, I have heard (but not been able to prove), by Tommy Thompson. I wonder if at one time our SoS DID certify elections, and if so, when did that power shift?

[PeaceNikki]

13. Here's some info:

http://gab.wi.gov/about/introduction

The G.A.B. officially began work in January 2008. It was created a year earlier in 2007 Wisconsin Act 1, replacing the State Elections Board and the State Ethics Board.

DailyKos says this:

"By adding up numbers from each ward as reported by local poll workers, the Government Accountability Board (which is run entirely by people appointed by a Democratic Governor) can arrive at a vote total for Waukesha County independently of Kathy Nickolaus."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/13/966348/-Investigation-into-Wisconsin-Supreme-Court-election-results-continues

[eowyn_of_rohan]

14. Thanks. Kennedy was a Thompson appointee though, so not a Dem

This doesn't answer the Secretary of State vs GAB issue but thanks. Have you seen this? http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x922785

[PeaceNikki]

15. Yeah, I think the *idea* behind GAB and not SoS certification was that a non-partisan panel rather

than a single elected official would certify/oversee elections.

Yeah, I saw that. That OpEd makes an statement that I think is wrong about Waukesha County, though: "But that goes against the conventional wisdom and well established national trends that urban areas in the Midwest and Northeast vote more Democratic and rural areas vote more Republican."

Here is a little bit I wrote about the people here, and I stand by it: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=855107&mesg_id=859339