My testimony on Wisconsin Assembly Bill 563 to the Committee on Campaigns and Elections hearing, Tuesday, January 9th, 2024 follows.
1. My testimony on Rumble.
2. The transcript of my testimony.
3. A podcast discussion of my testimony that evening.
1.
If you prefer to watch, here is audio/visual of my testimony on Rumble:
2.
If you prefer to read, here is a transcript of my testimony:
I’m Scott Liddicoat, citizen and voter from Green Bay.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak here today.
This hearing has convinced me I could never be a legislator. But not for the reasons that you might think. I’ve been here since 9:00. I don’t know how people sit so long…
I have little to add to the discussion of positives or negatives of Final Five beyond this:
1. That which is simplest almost always works best.
2. And talk of Final Five improving “Trust“ is silliness. The widespread lack of trust in our system of voting in Wisconsin today has little to do with how citizens complete their ballots.
I came here today to talk about something much more important than Final Five advantages and disadvantages. I came to talk about how we got here.
I know you, you guys in this room, are the only ones talking about this, just about.
I know a lot of people in Green Bay, intimately acquainted with the voting process. Few have ever heard of Final Five voting before, and they have never heard of it being discussed within their party or by their legislators before.
They are surprised by all of this.
I am not.
Democracy Found conduit contributions of $ 368,110 have found their way into the campaign checkbooks of many legislators in Madison.
Let’s do a little survey of Democracy Found Conduit Contributions
Members of the committee (on Campaigns and Elections):
[A = Assembly, S = Senate; D = Democrat, R = Republican]
AD Lee Snodgrass 3,340
AR Ron Tusler 11,285
AD Lisa Subeck 15,535
Committee Total 30,160
People listed as introducers of this bill (AB563):
AD Steve Doyle 1,845
AD Katrina Shankland 1,845
AR Jeff Mursau 4,010
AR Shannon Zimmerman 4,010
AD Deb Andraca 4,095
AR Bob Donovan 7,150
AD Dora Drake 7,700
Heavy Hitters
AR Ron Tusler** 11,285
AD Dan Riemer 15,480
AD Lisa Subeck** 15,535
Really Heavy Hitters
AR Todd Novak 20,000
AR Tony Kurtz, 21,445
AR Joel Kitchens 22,820
Introducers Total 137,220
– Rep Tusler & Rep Subeck = 110,400
Cosponsors of the bill (AB563):
SR Jesse James 10,360
SD Jeff Smith 24,700
Cosponsors Total 35,060
Assembly Speaker
R Robin Vos 11,900
____________________________
GRAND TOTAL: 187,520
I apologize if I mispronounced names or left anyone out. If there are any errors you should know this information came right off your State of Wisconsin CFIS website.
Let’s take a step back and recap, looking at the big picture. Democracy Found paid:
Over
88,390 13 Senate Republicans
177,540 22 Assembly Republicans
24,700 1 Senate Democrat
77,480 15 Assembly Democrats
368,110 Paid to 51 Wisconsin Politicians
But I wanted to know, what I wanted to know was, did the money paid to Wisconsin politicians from Democracy Found represent the popular support of hundreds of people? Thousands, or tens of thousands? Maybe even hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin citizens?
It turns out this information is available on the CFIS website also. Anyone may find the information that follows.
Fifty-nine people donated the $368,110 paid out to Wisconsin politicians by Democracy Found. That’s 59 people out of a Wisconsin population of nearly 5.9 million citizens.
So some concluding remarks:
Democracy Found and Wisconsin legislators, you have a credibility problem with Wisconsin Citizens and voters. As Sheboygan County Republican Party Chair Russ Otten said a month ago, “this is really smelly.”
Democracy Found, use your money to bring your idea to Wisconsin Voters. You have to know—you have to know—that ordinary citizens have natural reasons to distrust any change in [such] an important, longstanding practice [as voting]. For example, I’d like to see you promote this at Democrat and Republican party meetings and civic engagements in Brown County and across the state. You can fund this effort by getting $ 368,110 back from 51 Wisconsin politicians. On principle—on principle—they’ll be happy to give it back.
To any media people that are within earshot. Where have you been? I shouldn’t have had to be here today. Long ago you should have been the ones telling Wisconsin citizens what took me days to dig through and report today. Or are you just around here to play ball?
I’ll finish by reminding legislators in this room, you work for me, and Wisconsin Citizens. This is a representative republic, not an aristocracy.
I don’t believe this process, the how we got here today, serves the citizens of this state well.
[More than a little uncomfortable] Q’s and A’s follow on the video.
3.
For some context and a debrief after testifying, here is a podcast discussion that evening with Ripon’s Scott Milheiser. I so enjoyed this after the day I’d been through.
Timeline:
19:47 Context for my testimony on AB563
21:03 Scott M. plays audio of my testimony
32;49 My testimony ends and Scott brings interviews me on his podcast (ends at 47:30).
SaltwaterTea 