May 25, 2011

On Voting—Wisconsin Constitution, Article III, Section 1

Wisconsin Constitution, Article III, Section 1:

"Every United States citizen age 18 or older who is a resident of an election district in this state is a qualified elector of that district."

Ultimately, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will weigh this fundamental right of citizens to vote against the stated policy rationale of the "Photo ID" bill (AB 7)— protecting the "integrity of our election process," as Gov. Walker alleges in a blatant lie repeated endlessly by Republicans nationwide.

The judicial process of protecting the rights of Wisconsin citizens against the temporary majority of Republicans controlling the legislature and the governor's office will offer an object lesson in how the Courts protect the fundamental rights in this state's representative democracy.

To paraphrase David Boies arguing another civil rights case on the federal level:

There are certain rights in Wisconsin that are so fundamental, so valued, that the Wisconsin Constitution guarantees them to every Wisconsin citizen regardless of what a temporary majority of Republican pukes are willing to spend $millions on to keep their party in power, irrespective of what a majority of Wisconsinites may want.

No comments:

Post a Comment