From Charles R. Wellington and Robert S. Duxstad
Monroe
To the editor:
Last month, a colleague in the Green County Bar wrote an opinion piece suggesting that the nationwide efforts to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) by a Constitutional amendment are somehow misguided. We suggest that this is not the case.
First, to be clear, Citizens United dealt with the regulation of campaign spending by organizations. By one vote, the court ruled that freedom of speech (the First Amendment) prohibited the government from restricting political expenditures by a non-profit corporation. The principles set forth in that case, however, have extended to other corporations and entities as well.
Whether intended or not, the political campaign experience since 2010 has seen an enormous explosion of money in politics at all levels. This result has most Americans questioning whether individual citizens, at least the non-billionaires, have any influence on our elections at all. Keep in mind that the ability of individuals to spend unlimited sums was not affected by Citizens United. This will also need to be addressed at some point. The current efforts in this country are to blunt the effect of Citizens United on elections and, given the lack of political will in government, it needs to be done by Constitutional amendment.
Mr. Voegeli is correct that Constitutional amendments are not common. They take time and a ground swell of grass roots momentum to succeed. Intended or not, unbridled money harms democratic elections. An amendment that empowers the government to regulate expenditures, and requires full source disclosure of all monies spent is the only viable remedy for that harm. There is nothing more important to our system of government than the confidence of citizens in free, fair, and untainted elections. Citizens United has taken us away from this important premise.
In June, New York became the 17th state to call for a constitutional amendment to rein in election spending. It is truly exciting to see true democracy at work. Wisconsin is working hard to join that group of states. This is not a fledgling movement. It is important to our future and gaining momentum. For more information you can go to Wisconsin United to Amend, www.wiuta.org. We hope you will become informed on this issue and take a stand.
Monroe
To the editor:
Last month, a colleague in the Green County Bar wrote an opinion piece suggesting that the nationwide efforts to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) by a Constitutional amendment are somehow misguided. We suggest that this is not the case.
First, to be clear, Citizens United dealt with the regulation of campaign spending by organizations. By one vote, the court ruled that freedom of speech (the First Amendment) prohibited the government from restricting political expenditures by a non-profit corporation. The principles set forth in that case, however, have extended to other corporations and entities as well.
Whether intended or not, the political campaign experience since 2010 has seen an enormous explosion of money in politics at all levels. This result has most Americans questioning whether individual citizens, at least the non-billionaires, have any influence on our elections at all. Keep in mind that the ability of individuals to spend unlimited sums was not affected by Citizens United. This will also need to be addressed at some point. The current efforts in this country are to blunt the effect of Citizens United on elections and, given the lack of political will in government, it needs to be done by Constitutional amendment.
Mr. Voegeli is correct that Constitutional amendments are not common. They take time and a ground swell of grass roots momentum to succeed. Intended or not, unbridled money harms democratic elections. An amendment that empowers the government to regulate expenditures, and requires full source disclosure of all monies spent is the only viable remedy for that harm. There is nothing more important to our system of government than the confidence of citizens in free, fair, and untainted elections. Citizens United has taken us away from this important premise.
In June, New York became the 17th state to call for a constitutional amendment to rein in election spending. It is truly exciting to see true democracy at work. Wisconsin is working hard to join that group of states. This is not a fledgling movement. It is important to our future and gaining momentum. For more information you can go to Wisconsin United to Amend, www.wiuta.org. We hope you will become informed on this issue and take a stand.
