Okay, I'm reading in the paper about Samantha Kerkman's

[EC]

latest bills in committee being approved (I really do not like this woman, she has outright said, that what her beliefs are do not matter, she will do whatever her party asks) Anyway, one of them is from the Labor and Election Process Reform committee, it would reverse a law that prohibits muni clerks and their deputies who do not live in the communities in which they work from staffing polls on Election Day - rather now the Repuges are asking for outsiders to staff polling places - I really don't know how I feel about this or what is up their sleeves with this...Any ideas?

[ewagner]

1. Seems quite curious....

I don't know what this is all about, and, like you, don't know how to feel about it yet, but my first instinct is that the piece of legislation is either "spite" legislation or "special interest" legislation from one of her constituencies.

[sybylla]

2. Kerkman's press release on the bill

http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/Apr05/Apr20/0420kerkmanpollworkers.PDF
PRESS RELEASE For Further Information Contact:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Rep. Samantha Kerkman
April 19, 2005 608-266-2530
KERKMAN LEGISLATION SAILS THROUGH SENATE COMMITTEE
Now Awaits Senate Floor Debate
Madison….Representative Samantha Kerkman (R-Powers Lake) received approval from the Senate Committee on Labor and Election Process Reform. Her legislation, Assembly Bill 61, received a public hearing and executive session in the committee. The executive session is a vote by the committee members in favor of passage. The legislation passed on a unanimous vote allowing it to now move to the Senate Rules Committee to get scheduled for a vote by the entire Senate.

“The action today by the committee shows that this problem needs to be addressed. Both the Assembly and Senate have worked quickly to move the bill through,” said Kerkman, “I look forward to wrapping the bill up and getting it to Governor Doyle’s desk.”

Under current law, election officials must be an elector of the municipality they serve on Election Day. Clerks and Deputy Clerks who do not reside in the municipality they work in are unable to work at the polls on Election Day. Assembly Bill 61 would allow Clerks and their Deputies who don’t reside in the municipality the ability to work at the polls.

“Really this is a loophole in our statutes. We allow these clerks to register voters every day of the year, but not on Election Day? It really becomes a predicament for smaller communities who may have difficulty finding experienced, knowledgeable poll workers,” said Kerkman.

The committee heard testimony from Representative Kerkman as well as Diana Dysktra, Clerk of the City of Lake Geneva and Dorothy Sandona, former clerk of the Village of Twin Lakes. Diana Dykstra has a personal interest in the legislation as she is one of the clerks this legislation would benefit. Dykstra works for the City of Lake Geneva but lives in the Village of Sharon.

Representative Kerkman has been working on this legislation since 1997 when she was a staff member of Representative Cloyd Porter. At that time Dorothy Sandona approached then Representative Porter about the loophole. The legislation has been introduced each session with modifications with each introduction.

“I have been working on this legislation for a long time. But now, I think it’s time we get it signed into law. It really shows how long it can take to create a law. We entrust our Clerks 363 days a year, let’s finish the job and let them do their jobs 365,” said Kerkman.
###

I don't know if you can take her word for anything but at least you can see her rationale.

[ewagner]

3. I'm still suspicious

If this is passed, what's to stop a Clerk from Hiring or Deputizing a number of clerks from outside the district (all of the same party) to "manage" the election? In other words could they bring in a ton of repubs to hinder and harrass the process? Like could they "deputize" a whole bunch of repubs and bring them into Milwaukee on election day?

[sybylla]

4. That wouldn't likely happen, my resident political guru says

These are people hired as city and municipal clerks (where there isn't a residency requirement) and their full-time staff (deputy clerks).

The poll workers are an entirely different story. They by law are supposed to be from both parties in equal numbers as much as possible with the approval of the local party officials themselves.

I think your city elects the city clerk but not all municipalities do and not all have a residency requirement. So some villages, cities and even county clerk employees may come from outside the municipality they work for.

That means on election day, any clerk or deputy clerk who was a non-resident would be prohibited from working on elections in spite of the fact that pulling the election together and counting the votes is a very big part of the job description.

These people are unionized government employees filling positions subject to EEOC requirements and I doubt they can be fired and replaced willy-nilly based upon the political leanings of the boss without reprisals.

Sounds naive, I know :shrug:

City clerks already have the power to hire and fire their FTE's. This just allows them to work on election day, as they were hired to do.

I'm still approaching this legislation cautiously because I never trust we are getting the whole picture from pukes, but so far it sounds relatively kosher.