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Northwoods Voters Provided Clear Direction On Referendum Issues

United To Amend

Seventeen communities voted Tuesday to recommend amending the U.S. Constitution to clarify that only human beings should have inalienable rights and money is not the same thing as free speech.

The same communities also voted by a wide majority to ask the state legislature to adopt what are called Fair Maps for federal and state offices.

Voters in Oneida and Vilas counties voted about 4-1 to favor of the ballot questions. George Penn of United To Amend is a leader in the effort to get big money out of politics.

He says what is encouraging is the vote reflects bipartisan support...

"As you see in the numbers, the statewide average, and the local numbers are way above the statewide average, both conservatives and liberals get this. It's very unusual but again citizens know that the government does not represent them and they're expressing that in the vote..."

Penn thanked the local organizers who got the measures on the ballots in 16 Northwoods communities.

Penn says his group will keep pushing to convince lawmakers to move ahead with a  constitutional amendment to reverse a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United.

Penn also was pleased a companion vote also strongly recommended Wisconsin change to a non-partisan panel to figure voting districts.

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