MONROE - On a narrow margin, the decision by Green County residents over whether corporations should have the constitutional rights guaranteed to individual citizens will be posed as a question on the April 3 ballot following a vote by county board supervisors Tuesday.
With one supervisor absent, the Green County Board nearly split on the issue of including the language as a referendum on an upcoming ballot. It passed by one vote.
Supervisor Harvey Kubly voiced his opposition to the inclusion of the referendum on the spring ballot, citing it as unnecessary because he felt the issue was one for state or federal lawmakers. He added that while he finds money in politics "disgusting," he feels the same about flag burning as a veteran and citizen, explaining that the U.S. Supreme Court has been a good judge of character for what constitutes free speech and freedom of expression.
"I think it's just a waste of time and money for us to pursue this," Kubly said.
The 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission allowed for money to be a version of free speech and though corporations and other groups, like unions, could not give directly to campaigns, they could invest large sums of money in swaying public opinion through the use of Political Action Committees.
Referendum language asks "1. Only human beings - not corporations, unions, nonprofits or other legal entities - are endowed with constitutional rights, and 2. Money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech." The answer for voters will be a simple yes or no.
County Clerk Mike Doyle said inclusion of the referendum would require additional costs for the election. An additional $500 would be needed for public notice and equipment, and by requiring a larger, 8-by-11 ballot, another roughly 5 cents per ballot would increase total costs by about $1,500.
The referendum is part of a grassroots campaign by United to Amend, a group dedicated to enacting a constitutional amendment through the growing agreement of citizen votes in referendum like the one slated for April. The language outlining that rights are limited to individual citizens was included on November 2016 ballots in the area and was decided by Monroe residents as well, though not all of Green County.
After initial hesitation, Joan Winn Rufenacht voted no, followed by supervisors Richard Thoman, Russ Torkelson, Roger Truttmann, Calvin Wickline, Jeff Williams, Karl Blumer, Ted Fahey, Sherri Fiduccia, Ken Hodgson, Barb Krattinger, Harvey Mandel, Oscar Olson and Kubly. The measure passed on a simple majority vote of 15-14.
With one supervisor absent, the Green County Board nearly split on the issue of including the language as a referendum on an upcoming ballot. It passed by one vote.
Supervisor Harvey Kubly voiced his opposition to the inclusion of the referendum on the spring ballot, citing it as unnecessary because he felt the issue was one for state or federal lawmakers. He added that while he finds money in politics "disgusting," he feels the same about flag burning as a veteran and citizen, explaining that the U.S. Supreme Court has been a good judge of character for what constitutes free speech and freedom of expression.
"I think it's just a waste of time and money for us to pursue this," Kubly said.
The 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission allowed for money to be a version of free speech and though corporations and other groups, like unions, could not give directly to campaigns, they could invest large sums of money in swaying public opinion through the use of Political Action Committees.
Referendum language asks "1. Only human beings - not corporations, unions, nonprofits or other legal entities - are endowed with constitutional rights, and 2. Money is not speech, and therefore regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting political speech." The answer for voters will be a simple yes or no.
County Clerk Mike Doyle said inclusion of the referendum would require additional costs for the election. An additional $500 would be needed for public notice and equipment, and by requiring a larger, 8-by-11 ballot, another roughly 5 cents per ballot would increase total costs by about $1,500.
The referendum is part of a grassroots campaign by United to Amend, a group dedicated to enacting a constitutional amendment through the growing agreement of citizen votes in referendum like the one slated for April. The language outlining that rights are limited to individual citizens was included on November 2016 ballots in the area and was decided by Monroe residents as well, though not all of Green County.
After initial hesitation, Joan Winn Rufenacht voted no, followed by supervisors Richard Thoman, Russ Torkelson, Roger Truttmann, Calvin Wickline, Jeff Williams, Karl Blumer, Ted Fahey, Sherri Fiduccia, Ken Hodgson, Barb Krattinger, Harvey Mandel, Oscar Olson and Kubly. The measure passed on a simple majority vote of 15-14.