Van Orden: Republicans Don’t Vote Due To Too Many Elections

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This past weekend, the Republican Party of Wisconsin had their state convention. One of the issues they tried to tackle is why they have been losing so many elections lately and how to stop it. Reporter Emilee Fannon caught up with Rep. Drunken Van Orden, but apparently not before he had caught up with the bartender. Make sure you watch until the end:

FANNON: What do you think went wrong or what goes wrong in spring elections here in Wisconsin?

DVO: Republicans don’t vote, period. Like, we just don’t vote in spring elections. How do you change that? I don’t think we should have a spring election. I think we need to… These guys in the statehouse are thinking they should get rid of that and fold it into a mid-term or a four-year cycle.

It makes no sense for us to have three elections a year. Why do we do that? Just even from an efficiency point of view, it doesn’t make any sense. Spending money doing this, campaigning, people running around. There is exhaustion from the previous election. And it’s just not functional. And so the time, place, and manner of elections is determined by the statehouse. And I think they should get rid of the April election and roll it into one of the two-year cycles.

RPW CHAIR BRIAN SCHIMMING: I agree with what Derrick Van Orden said.

FANNON: He just said he wants to get rid of spring elections here in Wisconsin.

SCHIMMING: I agree with almost everything that Derrick Van Orden said.

DVO might have more credibility if he knew the basics of how our democracy works. Every year, there are either two or four elections – the spring primary and general election and the fall primary and general election. The only way there could be three elections is if a special election was being held.

Furthermore, if DVO were familiar with the state constitution and state law, he would have known that the spring elections are for judicial seats and school board seats. These races would be drowned out in the fall elections by the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative races. See how easy that was, you old sot?

The fact that Schimming laughed at the notion was hilarious. But he should be worried. The district has already been moved to being a toss-up race and that could very well change if the state supreme court decides to redistrict the congressional maps like they did with the state legislative maps.

As for DVO’s complaint that Republicans don’t vote, it should be pointed out that Republicans had traditionally dominated the spring elections because fewer Democrats tended to vote in them. But one thing really flipped that on its ear where there has been amazing surge of blue voters and a drop in red voters. That one thing is the election of the Orange Felon and the subsequent fall out from it. DVO would have known that if he had ever met with his constituents.

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