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Give voters the option to pick 'none'

(Published Tuesday, November 14, 2006 11:13:30 AM CST)

Maybe it's time for NOTA.

What's that? You've never heard of it?

We're not surprised. It stands for "None of the Above." It places "None of the Above" as a line item for each elective office on a ballot. With negative campaigning in Wisconsin reaching new lows this election cycle, we think many voters would appreciate the option of sending a message to candidates.

Last week, the Gazette spoke with a dozen or so voters about the idea. It intrigued them all.

Nevada enacted such a ballot option, called "None of These Candidates," in 1976. Residents frustrated with the candidates can choose "none" rather than vote for what they might consider the lesser of two evils. The candidate getting the most votes still wins election, even if "none" gets more votes. Last week, for example, Michael Cherry ran unopposed for the Nevada Supreme Court, and 25 percent of voters chose "none," sending a message that they weren't thrilled with Cherry.

Why not write in "Donald Duck" or "Mickey Mouse"? Such votes carry no weight. When enough people choose NOTA, the person elected won't enter office with a mandate from voters.

Gary Dykes of Gardnerville, Nev., told The Associated Press that he chose "none" in races in which he knew too little about the candidates. "I didn't want to vote for people I didn't know," he said. "It's kind of like a protest vote, rather than not voting at all."

Mike Griffin taught social studies for 34 years at Janesville Parker High School and now lives in Nevada. Asked if he likes NOTA, he said he would prefer an option with teeth, such as legislation in Massachusetts. That proposal would let voters reject all candidates for an office and call for a new election with new candidates.

A nonpartisan organization (www.nota.org) is dedicated to enacting such voter consent laws in every state.

We're not ready to go that far. But voters turned off by negativity would appreciate the chance to send a message to the candidate who is elected.

Randy Radtke, editor of the Lake Mills Leader, proposed such legislation twice during his time in the Assembly from 1979 to 1992.

Though his bill went nowhere, Radtke thinks people would favor it now after enduring negative advertising in the governor's and attorney general's races.

"A large vote for NOTA signals that people are upset and not going to take this anymore and next time around they'd better do something a little different," Radtke said last week.

A NOTA choice also could send a signal when candidates run unopposed. If many voters choose "none," it might encourage the other party or other potential candidates to mount challenges for that seat in the next election.

"I still very much like the idea," Radtke said. "And given the level of negativity that we now see in campaigns, you need something to shake up the system, and I think this is one of those things that does that."

We hope some lawmaker has the guts to draft such a bill.