WI: 'Sore loser' bill bars candidates who falter in primaries to run write-in campaigns

[RandySF]

MADISON – Candidates who lose partisan primaries would not be able to register for a general election write-in bid under a proposal introduced by two Republican lawmakers.

"A candidate should make a choice to run as a write-in candidate. It should not be allowed as a back-up plan for an unsuccessful bid for a party nomination," the bill's authors wrote in a memo seeking co-sponsors.

The legislation, introduced Friday by Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, and Rep. John Macco, R-Ledgeview, would stipulate that "no candidate losing in the partisan primary may file a registration statement to have write-in votes for the candidate counted in the general election."

Wisconsin law requires that a write-in candidate must register as such in order to have votes counted on their behalf. That would remain the case under the bill, but the candidate could not do so if they had run in the partisan primary.

The bill's authors say it would close a loophole and adhere to the spirit of existing existing state law, which bars candidates from running in more than one partisan primary at the same time. Many states have some sort of "sore loser" law on the books.




https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/09/25/wisconsin-bill-bars-losers-in-primary-elections-to-run-as-write-ins/70934554007/

[Model35mech]

1. Wisconsin doesn't require voters to register a party preference, a voter can vote in any primary

including among candidates of a political party that is not the one the voter generally supports.

Everyone votes using the same ballot, but the state recognized parties have all their primary candidates placed in the same column. Voters must caste their votes from one column. This helps prevent cross party voting, discussed below.

One of the often talked about elections hacks of primary elections is to vote in your opponent party's primary... but for the voters' perception of their opposition's weakest candidate. The idea behind this is undermining your opponent's party. Since I came to DU in 2003, this hack has been regularly presented.

In WI a rather small percentage (around 15%) of eligible voters actually turn out for most WI primaries, and another small percent of the percent who vote, caste votes in this sort of hack. It happens but it has very little influence outside of bragging about one's 'cleverness' to do this.

IMO, if a loser is required to re-file as an independent, get all the required signatures, pay the fee, and meet filing deadlines then that person should have their name show up on the general election ballot.

The problem is reality denying Republicans such as the authors of the legislation. THEY absolutely HATE IT when their subterfuge is foiled, and THAT is what this is about.

This is a bill that actually does very little other than soothe the minds of those pushing for this sort of deceitful voting. I see no point in this bill other than the lame attempt to try to deny otherwise law conforming candidates to present their names as candidates in general elections.

In general elections, you get to vote, while following the rules, for ANY name on the ballot.