Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette has held the office for nearly 40 years, and is running for another term. He joins us for a candidate forum, and talks about the duties he’d like to see restored to the office. We also talk to one of his opponents in the race, who wants to eliminate the office altogether. In Wisconsin Life, we hear the story of ‘wedded weavers.’ Then we hear a call for a rewrite of Wisconsin’s Constitution.
Featured in this Show
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Nonprofit Group Calls For Overhaul Of Wisconsin Constitution
The former executive director of the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities said he thinks it’s time to overhaul Wisconsin’s state constitution — the oldest state constitution in existence outside of New England.
“At this particular point we are in a state of old government,” said Ed Huck. “And frankly, the question of whether we should be more modernized is something we’re going to have to address at some particular point if we’re going to compete for jobs and people in the future.”
Huck said he believes the constitution needs to be updated on fundamental issues like state Supreme Court justice selection, county boundaries and also redistricting — something Huck said has been assaulted by party politics. The state constitution currently allows for the political party in power to map out the districts for 10 years at a time.
“The lines they’re drawing, it’s nothing more than gerrymandering,” Huck said
An amendment to the state constitution can be introduced by either house of the state Legislature. Unlike other states, Wisconsin doesn’t have petition-based referendums or initiatives to allow citizens to vote directly on constitutional matters.
Huck said relying on the state Legislature to make the kind of fundamental changes he’s proposing is a long shot in the current era of partisan gridlock. However, there is another option: the constitutional convention.
“The state Legislature has the ability to tinker with the constitution, but a major overhaul would have to be done by a convention,” Huck said.
This easier, more pragmatic route is what Huck is advocating for. Illinois was the most recent state to call a convention when it did so in 1970.
Huck and a team of law experts met with Illinois officials who led a convention more than 30 years ago. In Illinois, the convention worked like a giant workshop, with delegates dividing into groups and tasked with addressing a specific issue. The groups would them present their recommendations to the larger legislative body for a majority vote.
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Secretary Of State Candidate Forum With Libertarian Andy Craig
Central Time hosts a candidate forum with the libertarian candidate for Secretary of State, Andy Craig.
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Secretary Of State Candidate Forum With Democrat Doug La Follette
Central Time hosts a candidate forum with the incumbent Secretary of State, Doug La Follette.
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A New Constitutional Convention For Wisconsin?
Wisconsin’s Constitution needs a rewrite. That’s the case made in a new opinion piece; the writer joins the show to argue for a Constitutional Convention to tackle issues from redistricting to changing the way state Supreme Court justices are selected.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- Ed Huck Guest
- Andy Craig Guest
- Doug La Follette Guest
- Chris Malina Producer
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