SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 13, 2016
Sullivan’s
Salvos 10/18/16
In this edition:
*RIP David Wright
*Des Moines Register Poll
*Photographing a Ballot
*Intergovernmental Relations
*Did You Know?
*RIP David Wright
The
owner of Crown Electric, David was a salt-of-the-Earth guy with a great wry
sense of humor. He served on a few Boards and Commissions for Johnson County
over the years, and his service was always exemplary. RIP.
*Des Moines Register Poll
I
like the Des Moines Register; I really do. I think it is impressive that it has
fought its’ Gannett owners as long and hard as it has. But there is one thing I
DETEST about the Des Moines Register, and that is the Register Poll.
I
get it – the poll sells papers. It also poisons democracy. We need coverage of
issues, not coverage of horse races. I am convinced that these polls reduce
voter turnout. Worse, they take the focus off important topics.
The
Register should be about informing the citizenry, not about profits. But
because it IS about profits, we get polls instead of news. And the polls are
timed perfectly to inflict the most possible damage on the democratic process.
Odds
are quite good the last Register poll will be a bust because of the timing.
Good. I hope that happens several times in a row, so these polls go away and we
can actually discuss issues.
*Photographing a Ballot
There
have been a few recent court cases regarding the photographing of voted
ballots. I have already seen a few photos of voted ballots show up in my own
Facebook feed. While this may seem innocent, I happen to believe the
photographing of voted ballots could fundamentally undermine our democracy.
Snopes ran the
following: “The answers to questions about whether it is illegal to photograph
a ballot and post the results on the Internet, and what the penalties are for
doing so, are "It depends." Regulations regarding voting procedure in
the U.S. are set at a state level (or lower), so laws in this area vary quite a
bit from place to place. In most states, however, it is the case that voters
who upload photographs of their ballots to the Internet could indeed be risking
criminal penalties.”
"It's a very
unusual case," says Jeffrey Hermes, the deputy director of the Media Law
Resource Center in New York. "Usually banning political speech would be a
violation of the First Amendment. But with photography at polling places,
there's an intersection of two fundamental aspects of democracy: freedom of
speech and the integrity of the voting process."
“Hermes breaks it
down this way: Suppose you were a nefarious character who wanted to skew the
voting process in some way. You could buy votes, but you'd want proof that
people actually voted like you told them to. You could mislead people who don't
understand the voting process or don't speak English well. You could intimidate
other voters into voting like you do.”
“In these
cases, photos from inside the voting booth would really help you, the nefarious
character, perpetrate election fraud. And so, many states have just banned
those photos categorically. In this narrow circumstance, they've indicated,
there's something more essential to democracy than free speech.”
This
is not hyperbole. I can think of hundreds of scenarios where people could be
coerced into showing someone else their voted ballot. Abusers could force
victims of domestic violence to prove how they voted. Employers could force
employees to vote a certain way or lose a job. Parents could force young adult
children to vote a certain way or be forced out of college or out of the house.
Churches, unions, and other membership organizations could begin to require
proof of a vote as a condition for membership. Buying votes would become
rampant. Who would pay the most for your vote? It is now for sale!
Sure,
we could create a law that says it is illegal to coerce a person in these ways.
Heck, my bet is such a law probably already exists. But good luck enforcing it!
Those with power will always find new ways to coerce those without. It is
simpler to just make it illegal.
I
fully understand that this conflicts with a person’s First Amendment Rights. So
I do not come to this conclusion lightly. I feel it is critical that we
maintain the integrity of our democracy, and keep voted ballots private!
*Intergovernmental Relations
Over
the past 15 or so years, there have been some high-profile spats between North
Liberty, Coralville, Iowa City, Johnson County, and the ICCSD. I think there
are a few easy explanations for this:
1.
We
have experienced a great deal of growth; growth brings many challenges.
2.
The
State and Federal governments have reduced the income coming into local
governments, meaning it is more likely we will argue over what little is
available.
3.
It
is human nature to worry about oneself (and one’s own interests) first.
4.
Elected
officials oftentimes have egos that get in the way.
5.
One
or two rogue comments by one or two elected officials can be magnified far out
of proportion.
6.
There
is no codified mechanism for communication between the groups.
7.
Media
coverage of these governmental entities is dwindling.
So it is not hard to see why local governments had some spats. The
good news? In my opinion, the relationships between local governments are the
best they have been in that 15-year period.
It is a bit ironic, as people who opposed the election of the “Core
Four” in 2014 claimed intergovernmental relations would suffer as a result. In
fact, the exact opposite has been true.
What has changed? I would have to say that meetings have made the
difference. Individual meetings between councilors and board members, joint
meetings between two entities, and joint meetings between all entities. When
people sit down and talk, they can find common ground.
I remember requesting a joint meeting between the City of Iowa
City and Johnson County way back in 2007. Johnson County made the same request,
a couple times per year, for seven years. We finally held that meeting in 2014.
The delay did not serve our constituents well. Thankfully, those days are in
the rearview mirror.
We also have to acknowledge the leaders who have made this happen.
Amy Nielsen, John Lundell, Jim Throgmorton, and Chris Lynch deserve credit for
creating a culture where governmental entities talk to each other. It sounds
easy, but it took work by these folks to get to where we are.
Relationships between these elected bodies are pretty good right
now, knock on wood. That does not mean there won’t be areas of disagreement; we
will always have areas of disagreement. But I feel good about where we are, and
good about where we are headed.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Most local governments in Johnson County participate in a quarterly
“Joint Entities” meeting.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"Sullivan’s
Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a
brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages
come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole
Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.
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As always,
feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to
serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 10:14 PM
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