Dear Commons Community,

Gov. Scott Walker signed two pieces of legislation yesterday that dramatically alter the election and campaign finance landscape in Wisconsin.  As reported by The Huffington Post:

“The first new law dismantles the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board — an independent elections and ethics panel — which has been held up as a national model because it’s run by six former judges rather than partisan political appointees.  In its place will be two different commissions overseeing ethics and elections, ran mostly by partisan appointees put in place by the governor and legislative leaders.

The second law relaxes campaign finance rules, doubling the limit for individual contributions, eliminating the requirement that donors must identify their employer and allowing corporate donations to political parties and legislative campaign committees.

Walker held no public ceremony for these dramatic changes, signing the bills in a private event. The Associated Press noted that news of the signings came from a tweet from the author of the GAB legislation. Walker’s office later put out statements confirming what he had done.

The changes attracted little attention outside of Wisconsin, particularly because Walker is no longer running for president. He ended his 2016 presidential bid on Sept. 21.

Walker and state Republicans have had GAB in their sights since they found out it assisted prosecutors who were looking into whether Walker’s campaign illegally coordinated with outside organizations during the 2012 recall effort.”

Walker continues to eviscerate good government in Wisconsin.

Tony