Baileys Harbor Approves Constitutional Amendment Limiting Campaign Money

On June 12, the Town of Baileys Harbor unanimously approved a resolution “Supporting a Constitutional Amendment to Allow Limits on Campaign Contributions and Conducting a Non-Binding Statewide Referendum.” One week later, on June 19, the Town of Egg Harbor passed an identical resolution, also unanimously. Clarence Scherer, who organized the Town of Egg Harbor resolution, said, “I am proud to see the town has recognized the need to limit campaign spending. Hopefully our state and national legislators will follow suit.”

Both towns join the City of Sturgeon Bay, which also unanimously supported the same resolution on March 21. The non-binding referendum would simply ask voters whether they want Wisconsin to join the 19 other states that have called for a Constitutional amendment to undo the effects of the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizen United ruling and again allow reasonable limits be placed on the now limitless and sometimes “dark money” spent to attack candidates and influence voters and elected officials. Bills calling for a November 2018 statewide Referendum have been introduced into both houses of the State Legislature. In the Assembly it’s called AJR 53 and in the Senate it’s SJR 54. A similar bill died in committee last biennium. “These current bills will also never be debated or passed unless voters get vocal about them with their state assembly and senate representatives,” said Dan Powers from Door County-United to Amend, the local nonpartisan group working to get local resolutions passed throughout Door County.