The Rek Tangle Endorses...

There is an election in five days in Wisconsin, on Tuesday, April 5th. 

It is crucial that we all cast our ballots. No matter what our thoughts on the current system are, it is the system we have, and it is a system that is meant to function with participation from everyone. (And, my take on things has always been that if we can't motivate ourselves to participate in *this* system, then how the hell do we think we're going to motivate ourselves to participate in a more fully democratic system post-revolution?)

Since this is a blog, which is a vaguely journalistic endeavor, and also a very opinionated endeavor, it seems like endorsements are in order. After all, the Major Bloggers endorse people.

So, we here at the Rek Tangle would like to throw our political clout behind the following:

For Supreme Court Justice, we endorse using your own free will and research to make up your mind. Supreme Court Justice David Prosser is the incumbent. He is fairly conservative, and has served in the State Assembly in the past. Joanne Kloppenburg is the challenger. She is viewed as fairly liberal, and has worked as an Assistant Attorney General until both Democrat and Republican AGs. The Supreme Court Justice has a 10 year term, so there are lasting impacts. Additionally, many of the current and future challenges to the Budget Repair Bill are very likely to end up with the state's Supreme Court. 

For Dane County Executive, we endorse using your own free will and research to make up your mind. Current Democratic State Rep Joe Parisi is running against conservative Dane County Supervisor Eileen Bruskewitz. 

For Madison mayor, we again endorse using your own free will and research to make up your mind. Paul Soglin has been mayor in the past, Dave Cieslewicz is the current mayor. Both are liberal. Since they have both been in this position previously, their past records are particularly useful to examine.

If you are in Madison Ward 6, as I am, there is an election for Alder. Marsha Rummel is the incumbent, and Twink Jan-McMahon. Unsurprisingly, we are endorsing using your own free will and research to make up your mind.  Marsha Rummel has been the alder for a number of years; Twink Jan-McMahon runs the Sustainable Atwood organization/group. 

Finally, there are two referenda (yes, I was a Latin geek). One from Dane County, one from Madison. Both regard the Citizens United decision.  For this one, we endorse thinking about whether you actually want corporations to be voting in our elections. And also, doing some reasearch. 

But most of all, what we endorse, is that you get out there and vote. Vote for someone who you actually believe in, who you genuinely believe will do the right thing. Don't vote for the lesser of two evils, or vote along strict party lines. If you don't like any of the candidates, you should still go to the polls and vote. You can abstain from any races in which there is no candidate you support. You can write in your own candidate (this is most powerful, of course, if you coordinate it with other people).  It may not change who wins the election if you abstain from a race, but it demonstrates that there are people who are motivated, who care about our local government, and who are dissatisfied with the options (remember, in addition to telling us what percentage of the vote, and how many votes, the different candidates get, elections also tell us how many people went and voted).

Representative democracy is based on people expressing their opinion through elections. Particularly in the current political climate where there is so much effort to disenfranchise people, those of us who can vote need to do so. The only way towards a more equitable society is for a more participatory society, and we need to be practicing participation.  We can only change things when we all get involved and refuse to be silenced.

If you have lived in Wisconsin for 10 days, you are eligible to vote. You can register or change your address at the polls. There is really no good excuse to not vote.

To see if you are registered, and to check your polling place, visit https://vpa.wi.gov/. (You will need to know your name and birthdate. Hopefully, you know those things, right?)

You can also view a sample ballot at the link above, so that you can be prepared for what to expect.

For information about registering at the polls, and what identification/proof of residence will be accepted, visit http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/voters/registration-voting.

If you or someone you know needs help getting to a polling place, Union Cab (a worker owned co-op) and Badger Cab are both offering free rides to and from the polls!  Visit http://www.unioncab.com/opencms/opencms/news/ElectionDay.html for more information. Please note, they do advise signing up ahead of time to help with scheduling.