Vote Yes and No

Dear Editor,

Driving around Dodgeville you may have wondered about the display at some houses of both a Vote YES and a Vote NO yard sign. No, those homeowners are not confused, undecided, or trying to confuse you on how to vote.

The YES vote sign refers to the school referendum on the ballot. Like many area schools, reduced funding from the state has resulted in shortfalls in local schools' operating budgets. Those folks displaying a Yes sign believe an investment in the education of our children is a wise investment that will benefit the entire community, not just those with school-aged children.

The NO vote sign refers to the constitutional amendment on the ballot that would ban non-citizens from voting. A No vote does not mean you approve of allowing non-citizens to vote.  It means that this amendment is not necessary because the Wisconsin constitution, as well as federal laws, already limit the right to vote to United States citizens. Moreover there is no credible evidence of illegal voting by non-citizens; voting NO means you are saying NO to the legislators who proposed this confusing amendment which would create more barriers to voting based on misinformation about election security. 

Fortunately we can trust our local election clerks, who live in our communities, to continue to do an excellent job of running clean fraud-free elections. So on November 5th vote with confidence.  And vote Yes and No - in the right order.

Allen and Judy Pincus

Barneveld, WI