Ethics Report Archives

The 2020 Presidential election brought the federal/state election debate into a new dimension. The debate not only centers on state versus federal authority, it includes a debate on election integrity itself. 19 states have enacted laws to clarify election rules and reduce the likelihood of voter fraud. These actions are being driven by the expressed concerns of many Republican voters that the Democratic Party manipulated the 2020 election. The Democratic position on these laws is clear. They believe they are designed to suppress voter turnout in communities that lean Democratic.

Wisconsin is again considered a battleground state in 2022, yet for some, the battle for the 2020 election is not yet over. The gubernatorial election is a clear example. Governor Tony Evers is seeking re-election. On the Republican side, former Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefish, Pewaukee management consultant Kevin Nicholson, and state Rep. Tim Ramthun have announced their candidacy. Former Governor, Tommy Thompson, has officially announced that he will not become a candidate for Governor.

Tim Ramthun is running for Governor on the platform of overturning the results of the 2020 election in Wisconsin, despite the overwhelming evidence that the results were valid. There is a large constituency that backs the position of Ramthun. One might wonder, why is this the case? According to Oxford University professor Adam IP Smith https://www.historyextra.com/period/modern/a-brief-history-of-election-rigging-in-the-united-states/, “Donald Trump was the first presidential nominee of a major party to make allegations of systemic fraud central to his campaign.” Smith asserts that the assault by Donald Trump on the electoral system tapped into “the alienation felt by many Americans from their political institutions,” and “creeping sense that someone somewhere is manipulating the system to cheat the ‘real ’ people of their rightful rule.” Tim Ramthun has tapped into this alienation within Wisconsin.

The other two Republican candidates have not endorsed overturning the 2020 election results. However, as reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel they have staked out positions which address allegations of fraud by removing the authority of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Rebecca Kleefisch released a plan to create a new office within the state Department of Justice that would give the Attorney General the jurisdiction to prosecute voting violations, shift election audits to DOJ, and make it easier for the public to obtain copies of the state voter list, among other changes. Meanwhile, Kevin Nicholson proposes to shift the duties of the Wisconsin Elections Commission to the Secretary of State's office. Tim Michels announced his candidacy for Governor on April 25th. As of this writing, he has not publicly announced his position regarding the 2020 election results.

It is not known how many people in Wisconsin believe the 2020 election results should be decertified. But in a low turnout Republican primary, the number of voters could be sufficient to influence the primary election outcome. Another factor in this dynamic is likely to be the high cost of campaign financing. As Sarah Isgur of the Dispatch reported on February 27th on ABC This Week, 22% of all national Republican campaign funds are flowing through the Trump Political Action Committee (PAC). A serious candidate must weigh the options of foregoing access to these funds, or (even more serious) enabling these funds to go to a political opponent. For these reasons, it is understandable that the Republican gubernatorial candidates want to stake out a position to address “election fraud”.

With an eye on the 2024 Presidential election, states like Arizona and Georgia have passed legislation that gives expanded state oversight if the election process. That has not happened in Wisconsin, primarily due to the veto authority of Governor Tony Evers. That’s why the 2022 Wisconsin Governor’s race has taken on so much attention. The 2020 Presidential election was a contest with an historic turnout. President-elect Joe Biden topped President Trump by nearly 7 million popular votes, and 74 votes in the Electoral College. Yet, as reported in a National Public Radio report, "just 44,000 votes in Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin separated Biden and Trump from a tie in the Electoral College". That why we can expect considerable national attention in the election of Wisconsin’s next Governor. Wisconsin has “red flag” conditions regarding truthfulness in this upcoming election. Regardless of who wins, it remains to be seen how that will translate to governance beginning in 2023.

There have been a number of projected proposals for the utilization of the surplus funds. DFL Gov. Tim Walz initially listed a range of possible uses, including paid leave, housing and lowering the costs of energy and health care. Senate Republican Leader Jeremy Miller said tax cuts for individuals and businesses will be his caucus' "top priority." Statewide teachers union Education Minnesota, called on lawmakers to increase school funding. A number of other proposals have surfaced.

The president and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber called backfilling the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund deficit a huge priority to avoid tax increases on business. The Minnesota Senate passed a plan too use $2.7 billion to replenish the unemployment fund. As reported in the Mankato Free Press, Senate Republicans and Gov. Tim Walz have similar proposals to use $2.7 billion of the state’s surplus and federal COVID aid to pay off Minnesota’s debt and replenish the unemployment fund. House DFL members have put forth a proposal to repay the state’s $1.2 billion debt, which will remedy the immediate shortfall, but fail to fully replenish the fund. DFL Representative Gene Pelowski, of Winona, is taking a position that is counter to the House DFL caucus by introducing a bill calling for the full $2.7 billion. He attended a joint press conference with Republicans to express support for full funding, a position that Governor Walz, a Democrat, essentially supports.

Wisconsin also projects a significant budget surplus. The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau reported that the two-year budget's general fund was now projected to end with a balance of more than $3.8 billion. While not as large as the surplus in Minnesota, it is still a hefty sum. As reported by Wisconsin Public Radio, that amounts to nearly $2.9 billion more than the original estimate from last year. Fiscal Bureau Director Bob Lang told lawmakers $2.5 billion of that increase was due to higher-than-expected revenue from Wisconsin's income, sales and corporate taxes.

Governor Tony Evers called a special session, asking the state legislature to approve his plan to use some of the surplus funds to send taxpayers $150 refunds. On March 8th, Senate President Chris Kapenga banged the gavel to start the special session and then immediately banged it again to end it. The Republican-led Senate and Assembly technically held the special session, but no action was taken. There is no further legislative action expected on the budget surplus for the remainder of 2022.

So if you look at the two states, you can see a dramatic difference in approach. Minnesota is wrestling with the options on the table, ranging from tax cuts to increased funding for public services. Not surprisingly, the process will not be without challenges. The special interests are lining up with requests. For example, the Minneapolis teachers went on strike fully recognizing some of the surplus dollars can be directed to education. At the same time, It is encouraging to the seeds of bipartisanship in addressing the shortage in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Representative Gene Pelowski has earned a green light for his willingness to part with his caucus in order to work with the democratic Governor and republican State Senate.

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, the dynamics are less complicated legislatively. The Governor’s proposed “across the board” appears to be aimed at gaining favor from voters in advance of the November 2022 election. Of course, a similar action was taken by then Governor Walker in 2018 as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio. The 2018 action, approved by the Republican legislature and signed by the Governor, provided a $100 child tax credit plus a sales tax holiday...enacted in late summer of an election year.

This time, the 2022 legislature adjourned for the year in March without considering action on any unmet needs in Wisconsin. On one hand, it may be prudent to wait until 2023 for considering action, given the infusion of federal “COVID-19 relief dollars”. On the other hand, given the impact of inflation and rising gas prices, a bipartisan effort to provide tax relief now would have been a meaningful way to serve constituents throughout the state. Absent hyper-partisanship, this would have been the right thing to do. We believe, the Wisconsin Governor and legislature have earned a red flag for failing to consider a joint action. Neither party took serious steps to identify pressing needs within the state where the surplus could have helped. By appearances, spending the surplus funds in an election year could have benefited and/or disadvantaged one or the other the parties. Given that, it seems that the highest priority for the leaders in both parties was not responding to the needs of Wisconsin. Rather it was positioning for the upcoming election in November.

Cheney and Kinzinger issued strong statements rebuking the intent and integrity of the RNC position. Kinzinger stated, “I am now even more committed to fighting conspiracies and lies”. Later that week, the former Vice President, Mike Pence, stated in his speech to the Federalist Society that the former President is “wrong” to claim that he could have overturned the results of the 2020 presidential election. “President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election.” He added, "There are those in our party who believe that, as the presiding officer over the joint session of Congress, that I possessed unilateral authority to reject Electoral College votes.” He went on, “The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone”. He further stated, “And frankly, there is no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.” Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger and Mike Pence have earned a green light for upholding truthfulness regarding the events of January 6th. The Republican National Committee has earned a red flag for their clear mischaracterization of the January 6th events.

During the same week. Canadian truckers staged a large protest at the Ambassador Bridge…a major point of entrance to the United States. Labeled as the Freedom Convoy, they were protesting COVID vaccine mandates. Similar protests were reported in France, New Zealand and other countries. There was evidence as reported in the Guardian that the protest contained the same undercurrent of populism that powered the January 6 Capitol insurrection and the yellow vests movement: a powerful current fed by disinformation, conspiratorial thinking and deepening social divides. Meanwhile, several prominent elected officials in the U.S. praised the protest. In a statement by Senator Ted Cruz, "God bless these Canadian truck drivers. They're defending Canada, America, and they're standing up for freedom! The government doesn't have the right to force you to comply to their arbitrary mandates". It was reported in CNN that Senator Rand Paul referred to rumors that the protests would come to the U.S. by stating, "Civil disobedience is a time-honored tradition in our country, from slavery to civil rights, to you name it. Peaceful protest, clog things up, make people think about the mandates.” He added "I hope the truckers do come to America, and I hope they clog up cities." Needless to say, it was quite a week in U.S. politics.

Of course, Rand Paul is right. Civil disobedience is a time-honored tradition in America. Often, the protests involve the demand for policy change, such as was the case in the protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Sometimes the protests appears to be more about politics than policy. Given the run up to the 2022 mid-term elections, that appears to be the case, at least in part, for the expressed support for the January 6th protestors and the Freedom Convoy. To be certain, left wing protests have focused on politics as well. The Women’s March in 2017, held the day after President Trump’s inauguration, drew over 470,000 people in Washington D.C. Estimates range between 3,267,134 and 5,246,670 people participated in the marches nationwide. Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke to a large Boston gathering and stated, “We can whimper. We can whine. Or we can fight back!”

What is particularly concerning is the widening division between the two parties and their supporters. Political protests are one visible sign. The election developments in U.S. House of Representatives provide another glimpse of this dynamic. A number of Republican representatives in the House, facing primary challenges from Trump-supported candidates or reviewing the prospects given redistricting maps, have opted not to run in the 2022 midterms. Across the aisle, a similar scene is unfolding as Democrats take a look at President Joe Biden’s lagging approval numbers and signs of a significant midterm election swing. There are more Democrats not seeking reelection (29) than Republicans (14), but in both parties, it’s the centrists who are stepping down. The polarized elements remain. Indeed, the polarized leaders draw energy from the vilification of the opposition.

Trust is a valuable commodity

As the political divide has grown, the impact is being felt in many so-called non-political environments such as schools, hospitals and businesses. They are experiencing increased incivility and reduced trust which is evidenced on social media, at school board meetings, and in employee/customer interactions. The 2021 Gallup survey on trust shows that many major institutions have positive trust levels less than 40%. And in many cases, the trust levels are very divided based upon political party loyalty. Essentially, this is a very concerning negative on both counts.

Lost in this dynamic is the recognition of the importance of trust. When incivility increases, trust is reduced. And reduced trust can have significant negative consequences. Consider this, if a manufacturing company found itself unable to obtain sufficient raw material to produce their product, they would certainly be concerned. Yet for banks, businesses, schools, healthcare organizations (and other similar institutions) public trust is a vital commodity. When trust is in short supply, the impact is felt and it is costly. To be certain, the Freedom Convoy protest is fueled by the mistrust of government. As reported in Fortune, it has been estimated that the auto industry alone is facing losses as high as $988 million. For schools and healthcare organizations who are facing staff shortages in a stressful pandemic environment, the cost may show up in reduced quality, reduced access to service or higher costs associated personnel turnover.

In terms of elected officials, these dynamics raise several key questions. When elected leaders speak out in support of protestors, are they responding to the needs of a constituency? Or are they simply seizing an opportunity for more votes? Are they concerned about the costs and secondary consequences in promoting a divided country? Can an elected leader stand firmly in support of a cause, yet encourage responsible behavior that minimizes incivility and the costs associated with it? The answers to these questions may be difficult to fully assess. Yet, as citizens, these are questions we should be considering when elected leaders are seeking our support and our vote.

In practice for 220 years, the precedence of transfer of power has become an expectation, and has applied to state and local offices as well. Without the peaceful transfer of power, the American democracy would not exist as we know it. To be certain, there have been instances when the post-election transfer did not go smoothly, notably the Presidential certification process on January 6, 2021. Another example is now unfolding in Wisconsin. As reported in the January 2022 Wisconsin State Journal, most of the appointments by Governor Tony Evers to the Wisconsin Technical College System State Board and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents have not been confirmed by the State Senate. Five of Evers’ picks for the state technical college system board are unconfirmed, with three of them unable to serve because appointees of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker refuse to vacate their seats even though their terms expired last spring. And while Evers’ seven unconfirmed appointees to the UW Board of Regents have been serving without the Senate’s stamp of approval, the Republican lawmaker chairing the committee charged with confirming them recently warned that some may not be approved by the Senate, if and when they are brought forward for a confirmation vote. State Senator Roger Roth, R-Appleton, who chairs the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, said he plans to “start moving on some” of the appointees after wrapping up hearings on some bills this month. But he also entertained the possibility of continuing to deny some appointees a vote over the next year or even booting some from their posts. Senate leadership ultimately makes those decisions, he said. Meanwhile, Governor Evers, stated the individuals he appointed are doing everything that’s asked of them. He added, “The transfer of power is a part of our democracy, and it’s breathtaking, frankly, that Republicans have decided it’s more important to play politics than confirm appointments they know are qualified, dedicated people who want to serve our state”. The verbiage on this issue has gone back and forth between the two parties. It should be noted that this is not the first time there have been extended delays in making appointments for the two Wisconsin higher education boards. When the Democrats controlled the Senate in the early 2000s, it declined to act on Republican Governor Tommy Thompson’s nominations to the UW Board of Regents (which were carried over to the term of his successor, Scott McCallum) for more than two years. When Democratic Governor Jim Doyle was elected, he withdrew the Republican appointees and replaced them with his own.

Both the current delays in appointments and the delays twenty years past are concerning. Higher education is a cornerstone element in a strong state economy. And legislators should have (and do have) the authority to provide legislative oversight on the University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Technical College System. Indeed, the legislature imposed an eight year freeze on tuition increases for the University of Wisconsin System as a means of channeling resources in reserves and making tuition affordability a priority. But the delay in board appointments sends another message. It suggests that the legislature can do an “end around” the elected Governor. This can tend to politicize the two higher education systems which can harm the integrity of the State’s higher education delivery. State Senator Roger Roth and the Republican legislative leadership has earned a red flag for the failure to hold timely appointment hearings. Likewise, the Democratic leadership under the Governor McCallum administration has earned red flags as well. George Washington was remarkably accurate in his prognostication. The political parties have sought to “subvert the power of the people to usurp for themselves the reins of government."

Several investigations and audits in Wisconsin followed the November 2020 election, including an analysis by the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau. The most notable challenge is a Republican-led audit being conducted by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. This audit has been controversial because of the partisan make up of the investigative group and the lack of transparency, despite the $675,000 cost in public funds. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos defended the private nature of the investigation, comparing it to the confidentiality used in a criminal investigation. This position is a stretch given that it has included withholding the names of the investigative staff team for several months. The names of the staff have been recently released. The staff includes a former Trump administration official and the head of the Wisconsin Voter Alliance, which unsuccessfully asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to throw out the results of Wisconsin's presidential election and force the Legislature to certify the state's presidential electors instead).The Gableman group is expected to present their final report in early 2022.

The Wisconsin investigation has drawn national attention. As reported in the New York Times, Senator Ron Johnson (R), said that G.O.P. state lawmakers should unilaterally assert control of federal elections. In his position, state Republicans had the authority to do so even if opposed by the Governor, an argument that runs counter to rulings by the U.S. and Wisconsin Supreme Courts. Republican control of Wisconsin elections is necessary, Senator Johnson explained, because he believes Democrats cheat. “Do I expect Democrats to follow the rules?” said the senator, “Unfortunately, I probably don’t expect them to follow the rules. And other people don’t either, and that’s the problem.”

It should be noted that no legal challenge or investigation in Wisconsin has determined that the presidential outcome should be reversed. The most recent analysis was the investigation by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), an organization committed to supporting conservative causes. The investigation, released on December 7, 2021, examined nearly 20,000 ballots and 29,000 absentee ballot envelopes. They found “limited” evidence of individuals casting ballots when ineligible to do so, such as 130 reported instances of registered felons voting and 42 reported ballots from deceased voters. WILL concluded, “There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud. In all likelihood, more eligible voters cast ballots for Joe Biden than Donald Trump,” They added, “We found little direct evidence of fraud, and for the most part, an analysis of the results and voting patterns does not give rise to an inference of fraud.”, as reported in Forbes

In response to the release of the WILL report, State Senator Kathy Bernier (R), who leads the Senate Elections Committee, said the review by former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman is firing up people who don’t understand elections. "Mr. Gableman is coming to my county and I will attend that meeting along with my concealed carry permit, to be perfectly honest, because (the election review) keeps jazzing up the people who think they know what they're talking about, and they don't," Bernier said. “And so I think my advice would be to have Mr. Gableman wrap up sooner rather than later, because the longer we keep this up, the more harm ... we're going to do for Republicans." In response, Robin Vos stated that the review is taking longer because Democrats have not responded to requests for information.

So what caused the 51,000 difference in votes? The evidence clearly points in one direction. In Wisconsin, more than 51,000 people, who voted for a Republican candidate for the House of Representatives, voted for someone other than Donald Trump for president…or they simply did not cast a vote for president. What started as an investigation alleging that Democrats stole the election from Donald Trump has evolved into a debate on election rules. And because many Wisconsin citizens still believe the election was stolen from Donald Trump, Republican leaders have an opportunity to press for other revisions to election rules.

Representative Robin Vos has earned a red flag for the lack of transparency in the investigation and for the partisan, divisive position maintained as the basis for the election review. Senator Ron Johnson has also earned a red flag for his call for “one party rule” in the elections process…a statement that does not help to unify Wisconsin or the nation. Meanwhile, State Senator Kathy Bernier has earned a green light for her candid honesty in her statement to call the election investigation to an end. It is clear that she knows where the 51,000 votes are located.

As you can see, there are many forms of misinformation. Their are also other media formats that are seeing increased misinformation. Though not as large as the social and traditional media networks, they reach a surprising number of Americans in their message. Along with the positive elements in the distribution of information, they also promote increased amounts of misinformation. Podcasts are one such media format.

The term “podcasts” was first coined in 2004 to describe an emerging trend in audio that allowed consumers to subscribed to and play serial content at any time through an MP3-style device like an iPod. In this media, “anyone can be a publisher, anyone can be a broadcaster” as one of its pioneers put it. According to a report by the Brookings Institution Tech Stream, in 2010, only 11% of Americans had reported to have ever listened to a podcast.Today, that number has grown to 57%. Unfortunately, the spread of misinformation in podcasts appears to also be growing. In a preliminary analysis of more than 8,000 episodes of popular political podcasts, approximately one-tenth included potentially false information. Like social media, anyone can publish content. However, unlike social media (where people can directly respond to that content, often in real time), the audience cannot respond directly to it. This reduces the ability of the crowd to fact check misinformation like they might on Twitter. This means that as with social media, the gatekeepers determining who gets to share content are all but eliminated in the podcasting ecosystem, but unlike social media platforms, there is no immediate potential for public debate.

The rise of the internet also led to the explosion of alternative media, as it allows them to reach and expand an audience much more cheaply than mainstream media can. In an analysis in Small Business CHRON, alternative media audiences are typically small, segmented according to their views and perspectives, and mostly reside on the internet. They may be polarized according to their political or social views, but they could also be segmented according to industry, such as engineering or medicine. Alternative news sources promote their content to their specific target audience. This content may or may not be factual, though there are certainly alternative media sources that are generally considered reputable. The misinformation problem here most likely involves “highlighting”. If the alternative media consumer fails to seek other sources of information, they may view the world through a very narrow scope, with a distorted perspective of the larger picture.

Another alternative information source is Quora. With more than 300 million monthly users, Quora offers a cornucopia of “information that you didn’t know you wanted”. Founded in 2009 by former executives from Facebook, Quora was seen as one of the hottest companies in the post-Facebook wave of social media. Its use has leveled off in recent years, primarily because the company has not found the effective profit-generating formula. It’s not really a destination platform, but thanks to its popularity on search engines, it became the sort of place where people ended up accidentally to try and satisfy a curiosity. The content is regulated by the input of its large number of monthly users. As such, it is less likely to be influenced by misinformation. Indeed, it can serve a fact checking purpose of sorts. Users should recognize that its topics are less timely and often obscure.

Another interesting (and I believe encouraging) variation of the alternative media is the growing number of newsletters. In a recent report in Poynter, many local newspapers are branching out by promoting a daily newsletter, featuring timely news and top reporters. The growth is being driven by an opening left by shrinking legacy daily newspaper reports. Those cost increasingly more as print subscriptions now run to mid-hundreds of dollars annually and digital content is moving behind hard paywalls.The local newsletters, by contrast, are free. They appear to be a good fit for younger mobile audiences. They arrive first thing in the morning and provide a quick read about news and local attractions. Because these newsletters are a branch of their traditional parent media organization, they tend to hold the same credibility of the parent organization. Time will tell how this trend will evolve in the future. For the time being, it appears to be fulfilling an important niche.

Information (and misinformation) comes in many formats. Regardless of the source, the media consumer bears responsibility for the distribution of disinformation and misinformation if they share it. It is unrealistic (though a wonderful goal) to expect all Americans to be knowledgeable consumers of media information. We can help educate the public regarding the importance of refraining from sharing information if the source is questionable or unknown. However, the purveyors of disinformation know that a significant number of people will be drawn into the misinformation vortex. Nonetheless, it is reasonable and should be expected that elected officials (as leaders and role models) refrain from sharing misinformation. But that in itself is not enough. When faced with known false information, elected leaders that choose to remain silent (or feign ignorance) actually contribute to the misinformation problem. In hyper-partisan times, the latter problem is quite prevalent. When it comes to misinformation, sharing is bad...silence is equally bad.

During a 2019 press conference alongside Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, President Donald Trump took credit for inventing the term “fake news”. In his words, “I don’t even use fake anymore. I call the fake news now corrupt news because fake isn’t tough enough. And I’m the one that came up with the term—I’m very proud of it, but I think I’m gonna switch it to corrupt news.” It is worth noting that BuzzFeed News media editor Craig Silverman was the person who is credited with popularizing the term “fake news”. Silverman first started using it in 2014 while he was running a research project at Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism. He later made it a prominent part of his messaging when he moved to BuzzFeed in 2015. It is an interesting story because even the topic of fake news can become the subject of fake news. This leads to the question, “Is it wrong to believe fake news”? In looking at this question, we should first recognize that there is a hierarchy of “less than accurate” information swirling today. At the top is Disinformation (also referred to as propaganda), which is defined as false information that is distributed with the explicit intent of leading people’s beliefs in the wrong direction. According to the History of Information, the widespread use of the term disinformation is credited to Joseph Stalin, who crafted the name desinformatsiya, for the name of the propaganda department in the KGB…reportedly because of the term’s appearance of a western origin. The next level is misinformation. Like disinformation, misinformation involves the distribution of false information which may lead people’s beliefs in the wrong direction. However, misinformation may, or may not, be distributed with the intent of causing people to embrace wrong beliefs. In fact, much of the misinformation shared is done with the intent of helping others, even if the information is wrong…and the outcome is harmful. The third level is media bias. Media analysis organizations, such as Media Bias/Fact Check rate over 3000 sources of media world-wide by their content along a spectrum of very liberal to very conservative. However, they also identify sites that tend toward pseudo-science, conspiracy, satire and scientific in their content. they readily recognize that all media has bias. Their stated purpose is to better educate the consumer of media. Given today’s rapid dissemination of information, the average citizen is exposed to a toxic mix of disinformation, misinformation and media bias. Given this, it is not surprising that the overall trust in media has significantly dropped in the last six years (according to Pew Research, August 30 2021). But it is notable that, in the last 6 years, the reduction in trust by Republicans is much greater than Democrats, as described in the graph.

The study clearly states that the reasons behind the divisive role of social media are complex, with shared responsibility by government and the social media industry. It is recommended that the reader review the entire report. But here are some of the highlights. The major social media companies (notably Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) and the major political parties (Republicans and Democrats) bear some shared responsibility in the evolving promotion of “affective polarization”. The social media companies found it in their business interest to encourage polarization because it increased the engagement of users. In a specific example, Facebook’s recommendation algorithm had been steering some people toward pockets of hyper-partisan antagonism, including groups promoting QAnon and other similar extremist organizations. Meanwhile, the major political parties viewed the social media framework as an opportunity to “fire up their base” even though the process used fabrications that promoted the vilification of the opposition party.

The efforts by social media companies to monitor themselves has been inadequate. In a Wall Street Journal report they determined that Facebook knew their systems were driving people apart. The Journal reported about internal 2018 Facebook meeting where company officials clearly stated that “their algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness.” Officials added, “Without changes, the company’s automated systems would steer users to ‘more and more divisive content in an effort to gain user attention and increase time on the platform’.” Despite this warning, CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other senior executives “largely shelved the basic research,” the Journal reported. The basis for inaction was the concern that conservatives would feel unfairly singled out in the effort.

Efforts by the major social media companies to address hyper-polarization have lacked transparency. in 2018, YouTube began reducing recommendations of borderline content that could misinform users in harmful ways. In the year following this change, YouTube reported that “watch time of borderline content from non-subscribed recommendations dropped by over 70% in the U.S, and they saw a similar drop in other markets as well.” YouTube hasn’t released the underlying data necessary to verify the claimed 70% drop, but independent research appears to support the companies claim. Improved transparency could lead to the development of meaningful industry guidelines.

Independent studies have determined that the extreme divisiveness on social media is asymmetrical. The use of extreme divisiveness is more pronounced among the conservative users when compared to liberal users. The complete reasons are not certain for this asymmetrical pattern. The report acknowledges that the Trump presidency could be a factor. More than any other President in the last 75 years, Donald Trump has consistently (and almost exclusively) focused his message to his base of support, rather than the general population of the United States as a whole. And frequently, his message was confrontive, vilifying the political opposition. Of course, there may be other factors at play. Nonetheless, the asymmetrical pattern could mean that any efforts to dial down divisiveness could be interpreted as censorship and an example of anti-conservative bias. Despite the claims by some that unregulated social media is protected by free speech, there are meaningful and appropriate regulatory steps the government should take to reduce the effects of “affective polarization”. The Sterns Report concludes that the Federal Trade Commission, with the backing of the U.S. Congress, should collaborate with social media companies and other stakeholders to create standards for industry conduct that would then be enforceable by the government. The standards would define the duties of social media companies when addressing hateful, extremist, or threatening content. In addition to data transparency, the standards could set benchmarks for the amount of various categories of harmful content that remains on platforms even after automated and human moderation. If the benchmarks are exceeded, fines could be imposed. The standards could also require minimum protections of user privacy.

We again remind the reader to review the entire Sterns Report. The issues surrounding the role of social media are complex and evolving. Nonetheless, the Sterns Report is perhaps the most thorough analysis to date regarding the potential impact of social media on political divisiveness. The report stresses the importance of taking action to address the concerns raised, despite the complexities. While some may propose a “status quo” approach to social media, the data provided here reinforces that the status quo is in reality a slippery slope.

The following recommendations were included in the Sterns Report:

1. President Biden needs to prioritize a broad government response to the heightening of partisan hatred by social media. By means of one or more speeches, a bipartisan blue-ribbon commission, or via some other high-visibility vehicle, Biden should seek to persuade both lawmakers and the public that to avoid future versions of the Capitol insurrection, we must confront online polarization and its malign consequences.
2. The House Select Committee investigating the Capitol insurrection should devote ample resources to determining how technology was used to incite the violence on January 6. Panel members must make this a central line of inquiry and use their subpoena power to pursue it.
3. Lawmakers ought to pass legislation mandating more disclosure about the inner workings of social media platforms. This transparency will allow outside researchers to study how algorithms decide who sees what content so that policy makers, in turn, can craft more informed legislation addressing the pathologies associated with social media use.
4. Congress should empower the Federal Trade Commission to draft and enforce new standards for industry conduct. Greater transparency is necessary but not sufficient. We advocate legislation authorizing the FTC to collaborate with social media companies and other stakeholders to create industry standards that would be enforceable by the government.
5. While they grapple with social media as it now exists, legislators need to encourage exploration of alternatives to current business models. Some technologists and entrepreneurs are imagining a radically different, pro-democratic digital future; they deserve public support.

Recommendations to the Social Media Platforms:

1. Social media companies should adjust algorithms to depolarize platforms more systematically. The platforms should create metrics to measure polarization and improve the “dial-turning” measures they now apply on an ad hoc basis to reduce antagonism during emergencies.
2. But depolarization must take place transparently. Disclosing what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and what content might potentially get blocked in the process is the only way the platforms can counter suspicions that such measures are designed to manipulate politics or otherwise exert illegitimate influence.
3. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube should each double the size of their human content-moderation corps and make moderators full-fledged employees. This expansion would be expensive, but it would afford front-line reviewers more time to consider difficult content decisions. Bringing them in-house would lead to better supervision of reviewers and more careful analysis.
4. The industry needs to strengthen engagement with civil society groups that can help identify sources of dis- and misinformation related to elections, public health, and patterns of discrimination. Social media companies should do much more to aid the growing number of nonprofits, including introducing new ways for them to share information with the platforms and one another.
5. he platforms should reduce rewards for virality, which can contribute to polarization. Obscuring “like” and share counts, for example, might encourage consideration of content on its merits, rather than on whether it provokes outrage, hatred, or fear.

These special interest groups cover the full political spectrum (e.g. National Rifle Association, Sierra Club, National Education Association and Club for Growth). VoteSmart.org provides a fairly complete list of the special interest ratings, updated on an annual basis. LeaderEthics-Wisconsin has used a combined view of the special interest group ratings of an elected leader provide an indicator of that individual’s willingness to understand and represent the diverse interests of their constituency. If the combined ratings tend to fall exclusively into the “low” and “high” ratings, it may be an indicator that the elected leader does not seek middle ground positions. At the same time, ratings that tend to be relatively even across the board (low, moderate, high) may indicate a willingness to seek compromise and find middle ground solutions. The attached image shows the results from the 2020 analysis of Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin. In this example, both senators have not demonstrated practices in the middle ground, as assessed by various special interest groups.

Meanwhile, there is a new analysis that is now available, released in 2021 by the Common Ground Committee. The Committee has developed a scorecard that portrays and compares bipartisan efforts by elected officials. The Common Ground Scorecard measures the degree to which elected officials and candidates for office embody the spirit and practice of a Common Grounder — someone who seeks points of agreement and solutions on social and political issues through listening and productive conversation. It does not assess issue positions, ideology, or any other qualifications. The Common Ground Scorecard awards points on a 100-point scale with an opportunity for 10 additional points. Negative scores can result from the 20 point penalty in the Communication category for any instance of insulting a political opponent in the past three years. Meanwhile, a higher Common Ground Score indicates that the elected official or challenger better embodies the spirit and practice of a Common Grounder, as defined by Common Ground Committee.

What does the scorecard say about Wisconsin legislators?

The scorecard provides an analysis by state. This is a useful analysis for voters and constituents of statewide initiatives. Here is the 2021 scorecard for Wisconsin:

The numbers show Mike Gallagher (65) and Ron Kind (50) with the highest ratings. Meanwhile, Glenn Grothman (12) and Tom Tiffany (4) have the lowest ratings. While no comparative analysis is fool-proof, the Common Ground Scorecard can be a helpful tool. Numerous studies have verified that political partisanship has increased dramatically in the last 15 years. Our nation has moved farther to the leftand the right, resulting in name-calling, blaming and gridlock. The challenging issues we face are complex and they require our best collective input. It’s as if we are expecting good results using a playbook with half the pages missing, followed by blaming and name-calling rather than real work and follow through. The Common Ground scorecard can help inform citizens to provide or withhold support based upon the elected leader's track record for bipartisan collaboration. Based upon this information, we provide a green light for Rep. Mike Gallagher and Rep. Ron Kind. And we award a red flag to Rep. Glenn Grothman and Rep. Tom Tiffany. And we encourage citizens to factor this information when considering their vote.

The Brookings Institution had similar findings. They found that the pandemic, which could conceivably have brought the country together, has instead contributed to our growing political divides. They concluded that partisan affiliation is often the strongest single predictor of behavior and attitudes about COVID-19, even more powerful than local infection rates or demographic characteristics, such as age and health status. They add that a state’s partisan orientation also explains its public health policies, including the timing and duration of stay-at-home orders, bans on social gathering, and mask mandates.

In a study by Bloomberg CityLab, they found differently. Americans tend to sort based on where they live, and the study covers more conservative and more liberal regions…expecting a significant partisan divide by region. “We know that voters in our MSA [metropolitan statistical area] data are divided on national policy issues and that this divide is partly explained by party affiliation,” the study authors write. “However, is that necessarily the case for local policy?” They concluded, not so much. They determined that while there are huge differences between Democrats and Republicans on a national scale—especially those who identify as“strong Democrats” and “strong Republicans”—the study found very little difference at all between Democrats and Republicans on a number of local development issues. The chart below summarizes the main findings across these key local issues.

They concluded that local needs and priorities are a large determinant of their views. Meanwhile, a recent New York Times article shows that, despite firm political views, people can change their course of action. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation tried to determine whether individuals who resisted the COVID-19 vaccination would later change their views. And if so, what were the primary factors. They conducted a national poll in January 2021 and found that 23 percent of the respondents said they were not going to take the vaccine. In a follow up survey, they found that nearly a quarter of those who responded “no” later became vaccinated.

Learning that not being vaccinated will prevent people from doing some things. In some cases, access to travel or attend an event was limited to those who are vaccinated. In these situations, many simply decided to get the vaccine. These “information snapshots” perhaps provide some insight to the question regarding whether national and state hyper-partisanship affects local communities. The first two studies affirm that the COVID-19 pandemic has become a partisan political issue and the dynamics are playing out in local communities where debates on required vaccinations and mask mandates are common. This has significantly complicated something (COVID-19) that would normally be a local community health issue. At the same time, the Bloomberg study shows that most people are actually less divided on local issues. Local needs and priorities tend to be the primary determinant for their position on most issues, rather than political party loyalty. Finally, the Kaiser Foundation study reminds us that some opinions, if not all, can change if local leaders strategically approach the issue. This is an important finding for elected leaders. Some strategies can be more effective than others in shaping public opinion on important, complex issues. And the most effective strategies may, or may not, be the preferred strategies endorsed by the two major political parties. This is where the importance of ethical leadership enters the picture.

These “information snapshots” perhaps provide some insight to the question regarding whether national and state hyper-partisanship affects local communities. The first two studies affirm that the COVID-19 pandemic has become a partisan political issue and the dynamics are playing out in local communities where debates on required vaccinations and mask mandates are common. This has significantly complicated something (COVID-19) that would normally be a local community health issue. At the same time, the Bloomberg study shows that most people are actually less divided on local issues. Local needs and priorities tend to be the primary determinant for their position on most issues, rather than political party loyalty. Finally, the Kaiser Foundation study reminds us that some opinions, if not all, can change if local leaders strategically approach the issue. This is an important finding for elected leaders. Some strategies can be more effective than others in shaping public opinion on important, complex issues. And the most effective strategies may, or may not, be the preferred strategies endorsed by the two major political parties. This is where the importance of ethical leadership enters the picture.

The ranked choice system is automated and the results at each step are quickly known. However, the entire voting process in New York City could take longer. Here are the steps to be followed:

Rank Choice Voting is not the same as Final-Five Voting.

The second is the Instant-Runoff General Election: a grid-style, ranked-choice ballot, where voters pick their favorite candidate. They point out that voters can also pick their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and last place candidates.

The first-choice votes are tallied and if one candidate gets over 50% (a majority), the election is over, and that candidate wins. If no one has a majority, an instant runoff is triggered. The last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who had chosen that candidate (who is now out of the race) have their single vote transferred to their next-choice. The votes are tallied again; the process continues until one candidate gets a majority.

Democracy Found adds that Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is often used as a synonym for Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) because an Instant Runoff election is enabled by a ranked-choice ballot. However, Ranked-Choice Voting is an umbrella term whereas Instant Runoff Voting is more precise. The proposed Wisconsin legislation contains Instant Runoff Voting.

Concern About Democracy?

A driving force in the efforts to implement both Ranked Choice Voting and in Wisconsin, Final-Five Voting, is the growing concern that hyper partisanship is eroding the integrity of the American democracy. We are not seeing bipartisan solutions to some of the major problems faced. The current plurality voting model for primary and general elections is built upon disincentives for bipartisan collaboration. Katherine Gehl, co-author of The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy,describes this well.In her words, “FInal-Five Voting (FFV) is not designed primarily or necessarily to change who gets elected. It’s designed to change what the winners are incented to accomplish and have the freedom to accomplish in Congress. This change in incentives is created, in part, by the power of shifting electoral competition from the primary to the general election. (i.e., Currently approximately 86% of House elections are decided in party primaries because they are in districts “safe” for one party or the other. Therefore in 86% of races, the low-turnout primary, dominated by more ideological voters is the only race that matters. FFV flips this unhelpful dynamic: With FFV, the winner will come from the general election, not the primary. And FFV opens the general election to more competitors leading to healthy competition to serve the public interest.)”

It is encouraging that this conversation is occurring in Wisconsin, and similar efforts are underway in many corners throughout the nation. We believe the approach taken in Final-Five Voting aligns well with the four principles of LeaderEthics-Wisconsin...to encourage elected leaders who are truthful, transparent, unifiers who work to represent the interests of their entire constituency. We also recognize that the implementation of Final-Five Voting may take several legislative cycles to accomplish. It is a journey. But it is an important effort and a journey worth taking. The following is a list of the 22 cosponsors for SB 250/AB 244. We award a green light to them for taking their leadership position with this important legislation. If you support ethical leadership among elected officials, we encourage you to reach out to these legislators to thank them for their support for Final-Five Voting in Wisconsin.

Co-Authors

1. Sen. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield)
2. Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire)
3. Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc)
4. Rep. Daniel Riemer (D-Milwaukee)

Co-Sponsors

1. Rep. Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg)
2. Rep. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay)
3. Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo)
4. Rep. Alex Dallman (R-Green Lake)
5. Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska)
6. Rep. Dora Drake (D-Milwaukee)
7. Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire)
8. Rep. Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie)
9. Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay)
10. Rep. Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha)
11. Rep. Beth Meyers (D-Bayfield)
12. Rep. Clint Moses (R-Menomonie)
13. Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville)
14. Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point)
15. Rep. Ken Skowronski (R-Franklin)
16. Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison)
17. Rep. Ron Tusler (R - Harrison)
18. Rep. Don Vruwink (D-Milton)

He added, “We’ve made progress. We still have to make progress, but we have come a long way since last summer. The important principles that are still outstanding, I think we’ve made progress on all of them.”

Scott is in talks with Democratic New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, alongside members of the House, led by California Democratic Representative Karen Bass. Included in the informal discussions with Scott and Booker are members of a bipartisan group of House lawmakers known as the Problem Solvers Caucus.

In 2020, Republicans in the Senate had been reluctant to compromise with Democrats on the issue of police reform. Under current Senate rules, a compromise bill approved in the House would require support from all Democrats and at least 10 Republicans to make it to President Joe Biden’s desk. It has been reported that committee hearings on police reform have been held and continuing talks are underway.

As reported in The Guardian, it appears that Congress is in a position to pass bipartisan legislation on police reform. Of course, there is always the possibility that could stall under external political pressure. However, the process underway is worth a look. Cory Booker has been an effective advocate. In our opinion, Tim Scott has done a noteworthy job in strategically reaching out to members of the other political party. He has thoughtfully listened to constituents. And he has developed a solid reputation for fairness among his Republican colleagues. These are key ingredients in crafting bipartisan legislation in 2021. We are hopeful that meaningful legislation on police reform will come forward this session. However, in any case, the actions taken by Tim Scott, as well as Cory Booker, are noteworthy and indicative of ethical leadership. They are indicative of unification and a commitment to represent their entire constituency. We feel a green light for both is clearly deserved.

The complaint about Underly, as filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, accuses her of violating statutes by using her district email address during work time to solicit information for political purposes. Underly, superintendent of the Pecatonica School District, sent emails from her district email address to other superintendents' district email addresses, asking them for their personal email addresses. She sent emails with this request at 11:44 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. on Monday, April 20, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Meanwhile, the complaint from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin states that Kerr used her district email, in the last few months before her retirement, to talk about business for her new company, Lead Greatly LLC — including correspondence during at least one school day. Specifically, she used school district resources — both her email address and school district time— and her position as Superintendent, to “solicit work for her consulting firm, to set up graphic design assets for her consulting firm, and to generate contacts for her consulting firm”.

Complaints of ethics violations in a nonpartisan election are not necessarily unusual. And it will ultimately be up to the Wisconsin Ethics Commission to determine the relative weight of the complaints being filed. However, it is particularly noteworthy that the complaints were not filed by the respective campaign organizations...rather they were filed by the two major political parties. Furthermore, both political parties contributed financially to back their preferred candidate. More than $1 million was contributed to both candidates by party-affiliated outside groups and, in the case of Jill Underly, more than half of all campaign funds raised came from the Democratic Party.

In describing the State Superintendent campaign, perhaps the most telling point is the general acceptance of political party engagement in a nonpartisan election. In the April 7, 2021 edition, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel describes this election as evidence that the “Democrats are on a roll” in statewide elections. We are at a point where there is a general public acceptance of political party engagement, including money from outside interests, in nonpartisan elections. Unfortunately, this also leads to the blending of partisan and nonpartisan issues.

Political Convergence?

Convergence is the tendency for technologies that were originally unrelated to become more closely integrated and even unified as they develop and advance. This has had a profound impact on media and is a direct consequence of the digitization of media content and the popularization of the Internet. Media convergence transforms established industries, services, and work practices and enables entirely new forms of content to emerge. Convergence blurs and blends the barriers between global, national and local information. A local story can rapidly become national news. And a national story can become part of the complex fabric in addressing a local issue.

This raises a question whether we are experiencing a form of political convergence, where the political parties and party-aligned media are injecting partisan dynamics into nonpartisan elections and the way the issues surrounding them are framed. This can tend to reinforce the polarization of seemingly nonpartisan issues into “Democratic” or “Republican” issues. This adds weight to the process of reaching consensus at all levels of government. It can shift the emphasis (and allegiance) away from “what is good for constituents” toward “what is good for the political party”. Both the Democratic Party of Wisconsin and the Republican Party of Wisconsin have earned red flags for their extensive involvement in a nonpartisan election.

Jill Underly and Deb Kerr were able to convey their respective positions on the issues leading up to the election. But neither candidate attempted to separate their campaign from the two major political parties. Consequently, it was not possible to determine the degree either candidate would become beholding to the political party after the election. This is not a healthy situation for the voters in a nonpartisan election. It certainly does not focus on meeting the needs of the entire constituency....those not affiliated with either political party. We issue a red flag for both Jill Underly and Deb Kerr.

Steve Doyle currently serves as the Wisconsin Assembly Representative for the 94th district. He has served in that role since 2011. In April of 2020, he was named the most bipartisan Assembly representative by the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. The LRB performed a review and found that the Democratic 94th District Representative co-authored the highest number of bills initiated by both Republicans and Democrats during his time in office.

Representative Doyle said a divided government better serves the people because it helps to maintain balance. In response to receiving this recognition, Steve Doyle said. "I like the fact, surprising as it may seem, that I'm a Democrat in a Republican controlled legislature because I can help bring people to the middle."

Lee Nerison served as the Assembly Representative for the 96th district in Wisconsin from 2004 through 2018. Throughout his career, he had established a reputation for his independence and for his ability to solve problems through bipartisanship. As a demonstration of his independence, in 2011, Lee was one of only 5 Republicans who did not vote to support Act 10, despite considerable party pressure to support this prominent, high-profile legislation. He simply stated that he listened to his constituents and voted accordingly. During his seven terms in office, Lee was respected for his trustworthiness by his constituents. For example, in one election, despite being outspent in campaign spending by his opponent by an amount several times over, he was re-elected. The voters knew and trusted Lee Nerison.

Steve Doyle and Lee Nerison worked collaboratively on a number of pieces of legislation over the years. In 2019, they were co-presenters at the first Candidate Development Workshop for LeaderEthics-Wisconsin. The participants gave very high ratings for their message.

As elected officials, both Steve Doyle and Lee Nerison have earned their recognition with the LeaderEthics Award as role models for the four principles of ethical leadership. And it goes without saying, they have earned a big “green light” from LeaderEthics-Wisconsin.

Yes, we all need to turn down the volume and watch our rhetoric. But it is not the time to ignore our principles, to relax our expectations. The old management maxim says you can expect what you inspect. That’s what LeaderEthics-Wisconsin is all about – setting ethical expectations and holding leaders accountable.

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography,“Washington: A Life,” Ron Chernow writes that George Washington believed that the Constitution “can only lay the foundation – the community at large must raise the edifice.” And Chernow writes about the legend of Benjamin Franklin leaving the constitutional deliberations and bumping into a woman he knew, who asked about the form of government that the framers were working to develop. “A republic, madam, if you can keep it,” Franklin replied.

We’ve kept it through a Civil War and through so many scandals. And we’ll keep it as long as we continue to be vigilant, to question, to expect ethical leadership from the people elected and sworn to represent us. This is not the time to fall for absurdities. The atrocities of Jan. 6 remind us that what we expect, and what we inspect, will frame whether we can keep our republic.

Rusty Cunningham retired from the position of Executive Editor at the La Crosse Tribune in 2020. He is doing freelance work in news media, while enjoying new found flexibility for hobbies and personal interests.

At this time, the levels of frustration are once again very high. And similar to the pre-Progressive Era, state by state efforts are surfacing. There is a growing effort in many states to take actions to restore balance and integrity in the voting process. One such effort is referred to as Ranked Choice Voting (the effort is called Final Four Voting in the State of Alaska and Instant Runoff Voting in Wisconsin). There are unique approaches in differing states, but the core concept is the same (In order to avoid confusion, we will refer to the Wisconsin version in this article, Instant Runoff Voting-IRV). IRV differs from traditional voting in two critical ways. First, instead of a Republican primary and a Democrat primary, voters will cast their ballots in one, nonpartisan primary election. From the primary, up to five candidates can proceed to the general election. Then, in the general election, voters will be able to rank these “final five” in order of preference. For a single office, like for a mayor or governor, IRV helps to elect a candidate who reflects a majority of voters in a single election even when several viable candidates are in the race. Instant runoff voting is a way to ensure elections are fair for all voters by allowing voters the option to rank candidates in order of preference using the Instant Runoff Voting process.

Here's How It Works:

In races where voters select one winner, if a candidate receives more than half of the first choices, that candidate wins, just like in any other election. However, if there is no majority winner after counting first choices, the race is decided by an "instant runoff." The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who picked that candidate as ‘number 1’ will have their votes count for their next choice. This process continues until there’s a majority winner or a candidate won with more than half of the vote. For further explanation, watch this IRV Video.

Proponents of IRV tout the advantages. The process gives more options to voters across the political spectrum, thus serving as a counter-weight to the domination in the candidate selection process by extremists in both parties. This opens the door to increased bipartisan voting to address challenging policy issues. Proponents also claim that IRV provides a disincentive to negative advertising, since candidates are more likely to recognize the importance of a higher ranking, even if another candidate may get the top vote. The case for Instant Runoff Voting is well stated in the book The Politics Industry, by Katherine Gehl and Michael Porter. Gehl is the former owner of Gehl Foods. She has been active publicly as.... Michael Porter is a noted author and professor in the Harvard Business School. As Gehl and Porter state, the politics industry is a duopoly whose primary interest is to protect the status quo. If an elected official strays from the party line, they are subject to being “primaried” in the next election. Partisan primary elections tend to have low turnout, led by voters with the most extreme positions. For those whose main interest is political survival, the answer is to avoid bipartisan compromise and follow the party line.

A variation of Instant Runoff Voting is used for state primary, congressional, and presidential elections in Alaska and Maine and for local elections in more than 20 US cities including: Cambridge, Massachusetts; San Francisco, California; Oakland, California; Berkeley, California; San Leandro, California; Takoma Park, Maryland; St. Paul, Minnesota; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Portland, Maine; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and St. Louis Park, Minnesota. New York City is by far the largest voting population in the US that has opted for IRV, pending implementation in 2021. IRV is commonly used for student leadership and other non-governmental elections. It was used by all voters in four states in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

The Effort by States and the Hurdles

Similar to the Progressive Era, we are seeing action taking place at the state level. Two prominent leaders are the states of Maine and Alaska. In Maine, the Instant Runoff Voting initiative (Measure 5) was approved by the voters on November 8, 2016. In Maine, several lawsuits followed the passage of that state’s ranked-choice ballot measure in 2016. The Maine State Senate requested that the Maine Supreme Judicial Court issue an advisory opinion on the constitutionality of instant runoff voting, which was adopted for statewide elections via initiative in November 2016. In their ruling, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court advised that Maine's instant runoff voting law conflicted with the Maine Constitution, but ruled it could be used for federal congressional elections. The new process was used in the November 2020 election.

Alaska’s measure is broader than Maine’s. It will eliminate the state’s system of partisan primary elections. Instead, all state candidates for each political office would compete in the same primary election. The top four vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the general election. As was the case in Maine, the issue is now facing legal challenges. The timing of any legal challenges are such that even if the measures would be overturned, the issue would be in effect for the 2022. It should be stated, in both states, there was opposition from both political parties.

Meanwhile in Wisconsin, there are plans to introduce legislation that would allow instant runoff voting for congressional positions. A bipartisan group of state legislators has been identified that will introduce legislation in 2021. Supporters recognize the challenges ahead. The Wisconsin Legislature has been largely inactive for the last twelve months and there is a long list of issues on the agenda. The partisan divide is significant, particularly between the Republican-dominated Legislature and the Democratic Governor. And the November election has surfaced a large constituency that is questioning the very integrity of the election process. Add to that, there exists and reluctance be either party to change the status quo. Make no mistake, it will take persistence for Wisconsin Instant Runoff Voting initiative to become law. But we encourage people to follow these developments and lend support where needed. It is time to follow in the footsteps of the Progressive Era and to fix this cornerstone of the American democracy...the election process.

*Source: FairVote

This is a truism in all aspects of life, including politics. To be certain, there is political pressure to support partisan positions. But as conditions evolve, there may be opportunities to reach out to members of the other political party. Such is the case in an ad that was developed by the Stop the Covid Spread Coalition. In this nonpartisan ad, Congressman Mark Pocan (Democrat) and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (Republican) jointly promote safe practices in response to the expanded impact of the COVID pandemic in Wisconsin. The message is clear. COVID-19 is not a “left” or “right issue, but a public health issue. Many of us have questioned why leaders in the two major political parties have not taken similar collaborative steps at an earlier stage of the pandemic. However, in the words of Nicholas Sparks, the options boil down to rationalizing the missteps or missed opportunities of the past, or do the right thing now. Fortunately, Congressman Pocan and Speaker Vos opted for the latter.

Another example of bipartisan collaborative messaging is worth noting. State Representatives Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska), Jill Billings (D-La Crosse), and Loren Oldenburg (R-Viroqua) released a joint statement on December 1, 2020 asking for cooperation with masking, distancing and sanitation guidelines:

“Recently we had the opportunity to participate in a webinar where a number of medical professionals discussed their current day-to-day experiences as hospital workers during this pandemic. The stories that the hospital staff shared show the reality, and the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wisconsin Hospital Association is asking that we all work together to stop the spread.

“We are in the midst of a public health crisis. Across the state our hospitals are filling up or are already full, and in some cases, are sending sick people home to make room for the sickest of the sick. In addition, our medical staff are overburdened, stretched too thin, facing their own quarantines, or are so burned out that they cannot continue to work. We can each do our part to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The Wisconsin Hospital Association asks us to wear a mask, wash our hands & socially distance. We need to slow the spread to give our hospitals time to heal those already in their care. If we follow the CDC and Wisconsin Hospital Association’s guidelines together we can accomplish this goal. Please join us in frequently washing your hands, staying socially distant, cleaning and disinfecting frequently used surfaces, covering your coughs and sneezes, and wearing a mask when you are in public, or around people who aren’t a part of your household. When we all take these steps we can slow the spread.”

Collaborative messages such as these are vitally important. In a climate of political divisiveness, they can be met with outspoken skepticism and negativity. But many citizens very much welcome this approach. It serves as a reminder that we face a common enemy, not the opposing political party, but COVID-19. Mark Pocan, Robin Vos, Steve Doyle, Jill Billings and Loren Oldenburg have earned a green light for their collaborative efforts.

The quote by Nicholas Sparks is “It’s never too late to do the right thing”. The message provided in this quote is true for us as citizens. Given the politically divided conditions in our country, there will be pushback for elected officials who make public collaborative statements. But we can provide words of support for these actions. This does not mean we agree with all of the policy positions the politicians may represent. It does mean, when we see elected officials acting as unifiers, rather than dividers, we have an opportunity to provide recognition. In this regard, we can adopt the Sparks statement with a slight modification...”It’s never too late to recognize the right thing”.

As members of LeaderEthics-Wisconsin, you may wish to provide recognition for these legislators. You can send a message via email to the following addresses:

This is a truism in all aspects of life, including politics. To be certain, there is political pressure to support partisan positions. But as conditions evolve, there may be opportunities to reach out to members of the other political party. Such is the case in an ad that was developed by the Stop the Covid Spread Coalition. In this nonpartisan ad, Congressman Mark Pocan (Democrat) and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (Republican) jointly promote safe practices in response to the expanded impact of the COVID pandemic in Wisconsin. The message is clear. COVID-19 is not a “left” or “right issue, but a public health issue. Many of us have questioned why leaders in the two major political parties have not taken similar collaborative steps at an earlier stage of the pandemic. However, in the words of Nicholas Sparks, the options boil down to rationalizing the missteps or missed opportunities of the past, or do the right thing now. Fortunately, Congressman Pocan and Speaker Vos opted for the latter.

Another example of bipartisan collaborative messaging is worth noting. State Representatives Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska), Jill Billings (D-La Crosse), and Loren Oldenburg (R-Viroqua) released a joint statement on December 1, 2020 asking for cooperation with masking, distancing and sanitation guidelines:

“Recently we had the opportunity to participate in a webinar where a number of medical professionals discussed their current day-to-day experiences as hospital workers during this pandemic. The stories that the hospital staff shared show the reality, and the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wisconsin Hospital Association is asking that we all work together to stop the spread.

“We are in the midst of a public health crisis. Across the state our hospitals are filling up or are already full, and in some cases, are sending sick people home to make room for the sickest of the sick. In addition, our medical staff are overburdened, stretched too thin, facing their own quarantines, or are so burned out that they cannot continue to work. We can each do our part to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The Wisconsin Hospital Association asks us to wear a mask, wash our hands & socially distance. We need to slow the spread to give our hospitals time to heal those already in their care. If we follow the CDC and Wisconsin Hospital Association’s guidelines together we can accomplish this goal. Please join us in frequently washing your hands, staying socially distant, cleaning and disinfecting frequently used surfaces, covering your coughs and sneezes, and wearing a mask when you are in public, or around people who aren’t a part of your household. When we all take these steps we can slow the spread.”

Collaborative messages such as these are vitally important. In a climate of political divisiveness, they can be met with outspoken skepticism and negativity. But many citizens very much welcome this approach. It serves as a reminder that we face a common enemy, not the opposing political party, but COVID-19. Mark Pocan, Robin Vos, Steve Doyle, Jill Billings and Loren Oldenburg have earned a green light for their collaborative efforts.

The quote by Nicholas Sparks is “It’s never too late to do the right thing”. The message provided in this quote is true for us as citizens. Given the politically divided conditions in our country, there will be pushback for elected officials who make public collaborative statements. But we can provide words of support for these actions. This does not mean we agree with all of the policy positions the politicians may represent. It does mean, when we see elected officials acting as unifiers, rather than dividers, we have an opportunity to provide recognition. In this regard, we can adopt the Sparks statement with a slight modification...”It’s never too late to recognize the right thing”.

As members of LeaderEthics-Wisconsin, you may wish to provide recognition for these legislators. You can send a message via email to the following addresses:

To be certain, both political parties have been actively promoting strategies to prevail on policy issues through achieving a political majority...a winner takes all approach. This in itself is not new, though there has been a conscious effort to bypass some of the balancing legislative protocols such as the conference committee and the filibuster. The phrase "elections matter" is often heard today. Of course, this is not the first time our nation has been deeply divided. To be certain, we were divided during the Vietnam Nam war period. But there are other emerging factors at play today. As we have discussed in past issues of The Ethics Report, there is a convergence of 1) a dramatic rise in reliance on social media and 2) the expertly designed interference to divide Americans. For example, in 2016, the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence determined that the Russian Internet Research Agency (IRA) inserted extensive fabricated posts on social media, designed play upon partisan fears and racial animosity. The campaign of fabricated posts by the IRA led to more than 31 million “likes” and “shares” on Facebook and Instagram. Remember, these were fabricated posts, designed to divide U.S. citizens and erode the integrity of the American democracy.

What do voters think about bipartisanship?

It appears that voters have mixed feelings about bipartisanship. Many view the divisive political climate with concern. The 2019 Pew Research Center study showed 85 percent of Americans feel the political climate to be less respectful, fact-based and substantive. It raises a legitimate question...can America truly be great if our nation is so deeply divided?

At the same time, there are conscious efforts to promote bipartisanship. LeaderEthics-Wisconsin recognizes the work of the Bipartisan Policy Center https://bipartisanpolicy.org/ , a think tank that promotes bipartisan solutions to many of the nation’s most pressing policy issues. BPC has developed suggested policy statements and pathways for addressing: Campus Free Expression, Corporate Governance, Economy, Education, Elections, Governance, Health, Immigration, Infrastructure, and Technology. These policy solutions are intended to provide viable options for members of the two major political parties to craft legislation that will measurably improve or address conditions. And the policy solutions are intended to inform citizens that viable bipartisan options do exist.

We also like the work of Braver Angels https://braverangels.org/. This organization promotes civil dialog among citizens with both firmly-held conservative and liberal views. Their approach involves grassroots workshops held in various communities all around the country. Their goal is to help citizens better understand and respectfully listen to and consider the views of others.

But at the same time, the political parties are promoting negative advertising in record numbers. According to NBC News a report by Advertising Analytics projects campaign advertising in 2020 to reach $6.7 billion, most of which will be spent on attack ads. Although people report that they are tired of the negative advertising, it continues to thrive. To quote Joe Heim, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, negative advertising survives “because it works”. It is difficult for an elected official to endure a nasty campaign, and then turn around and embrace the opposition responsible for the negativity.

Can the Partisan Divide be Healed?

The future prospects of increased bipartisanship are uncertain. The public appears to be growing weary of the extreme political divisiveness. But it is an uphill struggle to overcome the forces that promote the divide. Efforts by groups like the Bipartisan Policy Center and Braver Angels help because they encourage public awareness regarding the viability and benefits of well-crafted bipartisanship. This is an essential step in the uphill climb. Voters must first recognize that a bipartisan approach can lead to better and more lasting outcomes for everyone. From there, voters must support candidates who actively engage in bipartisan efforts. People must believe that “bipartisanship works”.

Bipartisanship is More Than Splitting the Difference

The initial steps toward increased bipartisanship are important, but there will be limited results unless elected officials actively work to support their entire constituency (which you may recognize as one of the four principles of ethical leadership). This involves engaging with members on the other side of the aisle to better understand their viewpoint and to build trust. This requires an open mind. Ronald Reagan said about the evolving relations with the former Soviet Union, “trust, but verify”. That process involves both formal and informal engagement and communication. An example of the formal approach is the Select Committee for the Modernization of Congress, a bipartisan committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. As stated by Chair Derek Kilmer and Vice Chair Tom Graves, “This committee’s mission is to make Congress work better for the American people, which includes boosting transparency and finding ways to ‘open up’ the People’s House with just a click of a mouse”. Engagement and communication can also be done informally. A wonderful example is the friendship between Supreme Court Justices Anthony Scalia (a conservative) and Ruth Bader Ginsberg (a liberal). Their philosophy on law was significantly different, yet their friendship was real. They certainly earn a posthumous green light from our organization.

His remarks regarding the five traits of leadership bear a strong resemblance to the four principles of ethical leadership: truthfulness, transparency, acting as a unifier and representing all constituents. Although his remarks clearly address leadership behavior, he was also speaking to the expectations of citizens. He was asking the students at Liberty University...why do we accept behavior from political leaders that we would not accept from family, friends, co-workers or employees?

Lee Rasch

In large corporations, silos can get so intense as to bring the competitive drive of the company to a halt. Ironically, the participants in the conflict often do not recognize the damage being caused. Silos can develop anywhere. Unfortunately, they are also common in healthcare and higher education.

Over the years, there have been numerous studies on the silo mentality and how to overcome it. Nearly all conclude that leadership is an essential factor. Leaders can communicate common, overriding goals that are essential for organization success. They incorporate cross-divisional communication practices. They can reward teamwork. They can call out internal conflict and remove people, if needed, who are the repeated source of conflict. In other words, they can do the “heavy lifting” needed to break down the silo mentality. On the flip side, if leaders ignore or contribute to the conflict, the climate worsens. In my words, all hell breaks loose.

For people of the Baby Boom generation, the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 are reminiscent of the civil rights protests of the 1960’s. There are differences, of course. The dramatic, sudden and combined impact of the pandemic and economic recession is something this nation has never experienced. Meanwhile, the controversial war in Viet Nam was more like slowly sinking in quicksand.

Clearly, elected leaders in both political parties are struggling with the dynamics in 2020. The November elections are a little more than four months away. To their credit, national leaders have passed three stimulus bills, focusing on the combined impact of the pandemic and the economy. And national legislation is moving rapidly, designed to address systemic racism and excessive force by the police. However, throughout this process, the rhetoric and actions of President Trump have not been unifying...particularly at a time when the pandemic...a nonpartisan threat...looms large. As noted by the Pew Research Center, we are a nation divided at this time https://www.pewresearch.org/topics/political-polarization/. President Trump has earned a red flag by his divisive words and actions.

The News Media Is Not Helping

This divisiveness is exacerbated by some of the major players in cable news media. The Poynter Report (a prominent media watch dog) cited the recent news event outside the White House. The following is an excerpt from their June 3, 2020 report.

Two different audiences - and countries, perhaps - are wrapped up (with) two chyrons running simultaneously as President Trump stood in front of a church following his brief remarks Monday

CNN: “Peaceful protestors gassed, shot with rubber bullets so Trump can have church photo-op.”CNN: “Peaceful protestors gassed, shot with rubber bullets so Trump can have church photo-op.”

Fox News: “President Trump visits historic St. John’s Church in DC amid protests.”

And later, this from CNN: Trump says he's an "ally of all peaceful protestors" as police fire tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful protestors near WH"

Poynter goes on to report that this excerpt is just the initial snapshot of the detailed opinion-based coverage later that evening. They note that rubber bullets were not fired (as reported by CNN). Meanwhile, they point out that Fox News coverage appears to be clueless to the events on hand. Poynter states that it is as if these major media outlets are simultaneously describing two different countries.

Where Do We Go From Here?

We are at the mid-point of 2020 and clearly in a chaotic state. The prospects of a rapid turnaround in 2021 are not promising. David Gergen (political commentator and former presidential advisor in the Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton administrations) stated in a 2020 visit to La Crosse, “It is very possible that, regardless of who wins the Presidential election in November, they will have a very difficult time governing for the next four years.” We hope he is wrong in this prediction. But we should not ignore the gravity of the situation.

In 1994 and 2004, the median beliefs on core issues were actually fairly close, unlike where they are today. In a related study, Pew Research determined that the overwhelming factor in the growing political divide is not race, education-level, religious attendance, age or gender. Rather it is political party loyalty. As an elected official, an ethical leader should work to represent the needs of their entire constituency, not just those who belong to the same political party.

Unfortunately, the actions in Wisconsin during the pandemic are following this divisive political pattern. The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by a virus that does not determine those infected based upon their political party affiliation. It should be viewed as a common enemy, with a threat to both the health of our population and to our economic well-being. Elected officials should focus on the needs of the people of Wisconsin and commit every effort to address both of these threats, not pick sides.

As citizens, we should be looking for the elected officials from both parties to stand up to their own party leaders and promote common-sense, collaborative actions to meet the pandemic threat head on. It is our best way through this. And it might open the door to a better, healthier political process in our state.

Both did an exemplary job in their presentation. Clearly, it was the highlight of the workshop. In this particular article, we are going to highlight the presentation of Lee Nerison (I will have an opportunity to highlight Steve Doyle in a future article). Lee Nerison was elected to the Assembly in 2004 and he served in that role until the end of 2018. He established himself as an independent thinker and he was one of only four Republicans who opposed Governor Scott Walker’s Act 10 legislation in 2011. Act 10 was controversial in that it severely limited collective bargaining for public employees in Wisconsin. At the workshop, Lee explained that he sought input from constituents and the majority opposed the changes proposed in Act 10. He informed his Republican colleagues that he was going to remain steadfast in his position. Ultimately, Act 10 passed and Lee likely lost some influence within his party. Nonetheless, he continued to build his reputation as an advocate for agriculture issues and the district he served.

Lee went on to share an experience a few years after Act 10. Lee was targeted by the other political party as holding an Assembly District seat that could be won. Significant money from outside the district was funneled into his opponents campaign. Lee explained that he was “outspent” by his opponent by a five to one margin. Despite the campaign finance disparity, Lee Nerison won re-election. Lee’s reputation for integrity out-weighed the pressure from substantial opposition campaign funding.

When I speak to groups about LeaderEthics-Wisconsin, I am frequently asked, “How can someone be an ethical leader given the existence of political party pressure and the high cost of political campaigns?”. I feel the best answer I can provide is to point to Lee Nerison. He earns a “big green light” for his exemplary service as an ethical leader.

The trend in media trust shows an increasing partisan split over the past twenty years, with Democrats showing more trust in media sources than Republicans. The following chart shows this pattern.

The Gallup poll showed notable increases in distrust of CNN, The New York Times and The Washington Post among Republicans. Meanwhile, The Sean Hannity Show and Breitbart News are now distrusted by a larger share of Democrats than in 2014.

Two Sources We Recommend

The net result of the increased mistrust in the media leads to the basic question, “who can you trust?”. In answering this question, we should look in two areas, a) the tendencies of bias in the various media sources, and b) the tendencies of accuracy in those media sources. We recommend looking into AllSideshttps://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news and Media Bias/Fact Check, https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/center/.

AllSides maintains a list of nearly 600 media outlets and writers. These outlets and writers are rated and placed into the following categories: Left, Lean Left, Center, Lean Right, Right and Mixed. The ratings are helpful to the media consumer. One can look at their favorite media sources and gain a better understanding of the messaging they are receiving. It also allow the consumer to seek out new media sources in the effort to develop a more balanced perspective. AllSides also does a Left, Center, Right comparison of stories with similar topics. This is helpful in developing a more balanced perspective of controversial issues. AllSides also solicits reader feedback (What Do You Think?) in their ratings. As such, they may adjust ratings over time based upon feedback. Furthermore, the reader feedback is listed next to the AllSides rating.

Media Bias/Fact Check (MB/FC) also rates various media sources. They are considerably more comprehensive with more than 3000 sources in their data base world-wide. They rate media sources in the following categories: Left, Left-Center, Least-Biased, Right-Center and Right. They also categorize media sources identified as: Pro-Science, Conspiracy-Pseudoscience, Questionable Sources and Satire. MB/FC provides an added service by rating the fact check organizations. Essentially, they fact check the fact checkers.

All Media Has Bias

Both of these websites can serve as an excellent resource for a “quick check” when one comes across an article with a questionable message. They can also help us “check ourselves” in order to gain a better understanding of our habits for media consumption. Both sites recognize that all media has bias. AllSides addresses this through the feedback from readers. MB/FC addresses this through their “Least Biased” rating category. It should also be pointed out that the two sites differ in their ratings for some of the same media sources (e.g. BBC has a Left-Center rating on MB/FC, while maintaining a Center rating on AllSides). Alas, no system is perfect. But we offer a green light for both sites. In fact, we recommend that you bookmark both sites and spend some time browsing the information on them. If you are interested in promoting ethical leadership, it will be time well spent. And it may lead to the rebuilding of trust in media.