Wisconsin Wire: State Employee Fired for Informing Public About Free IDs
September 9, 2011
By Segway Jeremy Ryan
Governor Scott Walker (R-WI)
Here in Wisconsin Fitzwalkerstan, for the most part, things have momentarily calmed down. I have been working very hard on the story of the DOA writing some sort of election software. But today things took a turn and I was once again reminded that here in Fitzwalkerstan things never calm down, they only get worse. This morning I woke up expecting to find that my post from yesterday, which also highlighted that two recall elections were likely stolen, had taken off. I did find that but what I also found sent chills down my spine. It turns out a public employee was fired today for simply sending an e-mail that reminded people that they can get free ID’s for voting purposes.
Early this (Thursday) morning Chris Larsen, a limited term employment (LTE) worker for the State Department of Safety and Professional Services, sent an e-mail. Two hours later he was fired. You see Chris was concerned, as am I, about the fact that the DMV had specifically banned employees from informing people of their right to a free ID for voting purposes following Assembly Bill 7 (aka the Voter Disenfranchisement Act) which mandates a driver’s license or state ID card in order to vote. The bill also bans all students from voting in the primary, eliminates homeless corroboration, and so much more. Keep in mind, several counties have very limited access to DMV stations, so getting an ID, and therefore being able to vote, is a major task as it is.
A statement made by John Murray the Executive Assistant at the office confirmed that Larsen was fired. Like most state agencies managed by the Governor, the statement was far from truthful. He claimed that Larsen was fired for poor work history. Larsen, however, maintains that he had never been disciplined on the job (one co-worker today said he was an excellent employee), and his LTE contract was just recently renewed, something that doesn’t happen to substandard employees. Furthermore, they said his e-mail was inappropriate; a dumb move, since they should have known the entire e-mail would be released and this charge disproven. For the record, here is the entire e-mail verbatim:
This e-mail, yes, this particular e-mail, was enough to get him fired. This is an outrage, a person fired for simply encouraging participatory democracy. The policy alone that the DMV is not allowed to inform individuals that the ID is free is downright sick. But this is how things all too often work in Fitzwalkerstan. Please share this, it’s just another story that every man, woman, and child who cares about our elections and people being able to vote should see. Until we return from Fitzwalkerstan back to Wisconsin, keep fighting. ONE DAY LONGER! ONE DAY STRONGER!
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/09/09/wisconsin-wire-state-employee-fired-for-informing-public-about-free-ids/
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