MADISON, Wis. – Government watchdog groups are calling into question the effectiveness of the newly formed Wisconsin Ethics Commission.

The new entity was created a year ago to replace the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.

In its first year of existence, the Ethics Commission investigated a single alleged violation of state campaign finance and lobbying laws.

In the year prior, the Government Accountability Board handled 39 investigations.

Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, says the new commission isn't doing a good job, in part because many of the state's once-strong ethics laws were repealed.

"Those were all repealed by the end of 2015,” he explains. “We now have one of the least regulated, most wide open 'Wild West' campaign finance and ethics systems in the country, rating somewhere below Alabama and Mississippi, and maybe just east of Texas."

The Republican legislative leadership, which spearheaded the repeal of most of the state's strong political ethics laws, says the former Government Accountability Board was used as an instrument for partisan witch hunts.

Heck and others strongly disagree, pointing out that the new Ethics Commission is the very embodiment of partisan politics.

"The administrator of the Ethics Commission is answerable to the legislative leadership,” he points out. “He's not answerable to the law.

“The nonpartisan judges who made up the Government Accountability Board did not have to answer to the legislative leadership, and in fact had a separate stream of funding to conduct investigations."

The now-defunct Government Accountability Board was composed of nine retired judges, who adhered to the law, not to the direction of legislative leadership.

Heck says the new Ethics Commission was designed to be a completely partisan instrument, and, unlike the former board, it cannot initiate investigations.

"In November of 2016, one of the judges that had been appointed to the new Ethics Commission quit in disgust,” Heck relates. “He said it was a partisan entity that did not adhere to the law, and that only adhered and listened to the partisan masters that made the appointments to the Commission."

Heck says, sarcastically, the Ethics Commission is operating “exactly as it was designed.”





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An executive order signed by President Donald Trump to dramatically overhaul voting laws is unlikely to stand up in court, according to an election law expert. But some states may adopt its provisions to gain political favor.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, called the order an "executive power grab" meant to dictate how all 50 states will run their future elections. He noted that the president's order would require proof of citizenship on the national voter registration form and require the invalidation of ballots received after Election Day.

"I think it's very, very unlikely that this will take legal effect," he said. "It may be that some states adapt procedures, if they're friendly to the president, to comply with the EO, but it's very unlikely that federal government will be able to enforce many aspects of this EO, if not all of the aspects."

The order also would give the Elon Musk-led team known as the Department of Government Efficiency access to state voter rolls to check for "consistency with federal requirements." Becker said he expects voting-rights groups and state attorneys general to file challenges.

The order threatens to withhold federal funding from states that don't comply with its directives ahead of the 2026 midterms. Becker said that would come with a hefty price tag.

"It's creating an entirely new bureaucracy in every single state," he said. "The entire price tag of this entire executive order, if it were to be upheld, is well into the billions - and possibly tens of billons - of dollars."

The Trump administration has said the EO would prevent non-Americans from voting in federal elections by requiring a government-issued ID or a passport, but not a birth certificate, as proof of citizenship. More than half of Americans don't have a passport - including many in areas of the South and Midwest that voted for Trump in the 2024 election.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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In these divisive times, nonprofit groups are stepping up to boost civic engagement by facilitating intergenerational dialogue.

The Creating Citizens initiative from Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California brings older adults and young people together to discuss important civic issues.

In January, the forum topic was people's thoughts about the 2024 election. The next forum, in September, will address climate change.

Nesreen Ezzeddine, education program manager with Commonwealth Club World Affairs, helps facilitate the events.

"The political climate is uncertain and so, meaningful dialogue is more crucial than ever," said Ezzeddine, "kind of bringing this idea of the idealism of youth and also the experiences of older generations."

She said the club plans to sponsor three intergenerational dialogue events next fall and spring.

The idea for the dialogues started with college students, who said they didn't plan to vote because they were disappointed that the two major candidates - Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden - were 78 and 81 years old.

Commonwealth Club Vice President of Education Lauren Silver said at the same time, older adults are concerned about this feeling of disconnection among young people.

"Without an intergenerational divide being addressed, we're still all talking in our generational echo chambers," said Silver, "and we're not going to be able to cure or heal the political system or the divisiveness in our society."

Heather Smith is the manager of partnerships for the San Francisco nonprofit YouthTruth, which facilitates dialogue between students and educators.

"When students feel brought into these conversations, when they see their opinions and ideas turn into actions, we see them as engaged students," said Smith, "and engaged citizens as they get older."

A recent YouthTruth survey reveals many students don't think schools prepare them to be civically engaged.

It found 68% agree that helping others is important, but only 44% feel like they can make a difference.

High school seniors will soon be counting down the days until graduation and in Minnesota. But students from future graduating classes could get a special credential if they make an extra effort to improve their civics knowledge and skills.

A legislative committee takes up a bill Monday to create a "Civic Seal" program, as nearly a dozen other states have done. Minnesota has already bolstered its civics education requirements but the bill's supporters said it goes further by adding the seal to diplomas of students who show real interest in civic engagement.

Esha Vibhakar, a junior and student advocate at Wayzata High School, said it is a hard thing to do in a hostile political environment.

"We have a big fear of being wrong, or people having different opinions from us," Vibhakar explained. "My peers and people my age tend to shy away from the conversations that are hard."

Backers stressed it would not be a mandate for schools but noted by offering the Civic Seal, students can gain confidence in learning about how democracy works. They could earn the seal through extra projects, like attending city council meetings or volunteering for a nonprofit. The bill has bipartisan support.

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski, DFL-Eden Prairie, one of the measure's sponsors, is a retired civics teacher. In today's world, with so much misinformation on social media, he feels it is important to push civics knowledge higher on the priority list. He cited research showing for every $50 the nation spends on STEM curriculum, five cents is spent per student for civics learning.

"I'm not trying to dismiss the hard work that STEM advocates have done the last 15 or 20 years, but I'm just trying to do my best to reverse those numbers," Cwodzinski emphasized. "I just want kids to be more civil and know how to conduct a public discourse."

A coalition raising awareness about the movement said the Civic Seal would also send a message to colleges and employers that a student has a lot more to offer than just academic success. It cited other research showing robust civic education correlates with higher voting rates and increased community involvement.


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