http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=34144Jessica Opoien on Tuesday 07/19/2011 4:39 pm
Today is a day of firsts -- for me, but, more importantly, for the state of Wisconsin.
The first battle in the war to flip -- or maintain -- the state Senate majority will be decided today in the recall election for District 30. Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay), is the first incumbent to face a general recall election this summer, as the only recall candidate whose race didn't result in a forced primary. Had Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) secured just two more signatures, today's election would have determined whether Nygren or David VanderLeest faced Hansen as the Republican contender. Since Nygren didn't make it onto the ballot, Hansen, in his third term, is challenged by a Republican activist who led the effort to recall the incumbent and carries with him a past plagued with domestic abuse allegations and failure to pay property taxes.
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Perhaps the most surprising aspect of coming home to vote was the complete lack of attention the local newspaper paid to the election. Neither Monday's nor Tuesday's edition of the EagleHerald, the newspaper serving Marinette and the neighboring community, Menominee, Mich., contained a single local story about the recall election. There was no mention of where to vote in a special election and no warning that voters would be asked to show their IDs, not to mention no story about the candidates or the race itself. To be fair, the newspaper does have its hands full covering calls to remove Marinette's mayor from office following his recent OWI arrest.
Regardless of the lack of local news coverage, the polls were busy throughout my time there, and as I left, a poll worker said it had been busy like that all day -- not just during the lunch hour. It was refreshing to see an engaged citizenry participating in the democratic process.
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