| . DownStreet's
Monthly Straw Poll:
Should Our Reps Vote Their
Consciences? Each month, DownStreet will be
conducting a Straw Poll to get our readers' votes on issues of interest or
importance to Vermont and our local communities. Not only that, but
we'll be forwarding the results to our elected reps. So,
let your voice be heard ... This Month's Straw Poll
Question comes right out of Vermont's debate about the Civil Unions
bill. ... Background: The Civil Unions
debate has been largely focused on the question of whether or not our
elected representatives had any business voting in favor of a proposition
which the majority of the citizens were opposed to. In short, should
elected reps ever cast a vote of conscience, even if it goes against the
wishes of the majority of those they represent? In the
campaign, especially as the election drew nearer, two of our gubernatorial
candidates positioned themselves around the Civil Unions legislation
pretty explicitly ... while one tried to simply avoid the political
fallout. ... Ruth Dwyer had been clear about her
opposition to Civil Unions, primarily on the basis of the supposed
majority opposition to the measure. Anthony Pollina, on the other
hand, had made it clear all along that he not only supports Civil Unions
as a matter of civil rights, but noted that he considers it a sad state of
affairs when the Supreme Court has to explicitly mandate such rights for a
segment of the Vermont citizenry. And sitting on the fence was
Howard Dean, who had taken to pointing a finger at the State Supreme
Court, much the way he did about Act 60, noting that his own thoughts were
immaterial, since the Supreme Court required of both him and the
legislature that something be done. Of course, the idea of
Civil Unions is no longer just a local issue. The issue also made it
to the national debates, both presidential and vice-presidential, as
anyone who watched the otherwise uninspiring proceedings witnessed.
Not only that, but more and more major corporations around the country
have been voluntarily extending benefits to the partners of gay and
lesbian employees in an effort to attract and keep qualified
workers. So the issue is not simply local, nor is it simply
political. Nonetheless, the question here is not
about whether you support Vermont's Civil Unions bill or not.
Rather, the question is whether or not you think an elected official
should ever vote his or her conscience, even if that vote goes against the
majority will of the people represented. When you vote here, we ask
you to keep that clearly in mind. ... This
is not some sort of disguised referendum on Civil
Unions. It is an attempt discover whether or not you believe
there can ever be a justifiable occasion for an elected official to
cast a vote of conscience which, by the definition we are
using here, is a vote which goes against the wishes of the
majority of his or her constituency.
That
said, DownStreet is pleased to offer you the opportunity to ... Vote
in our DownStreet Straw Poll ... Please
complete the ballot below. Also, note that we are asking for at
least a valid e-mail address, not to identify how particular individuals
voted, but in order to insure that no one tries to stuff the ballot
box. {Ordinarily, it might not have occurred to us. But in the
wake of so many campaign signs having been defaced this year, we want to
be a little cautious.} The Question: Should
an elected official ever cast a 'vote of conscience' even if it
goes
against the wishes of the majority of those he or she represents? Note:
Our on-line form for reader surveys and similar in-put are only active
while the issue is current. *******
******* If there is some issue or referendum
you'd like to see DownStreet conduct a Straw Poll on, please let us
know by e-mailing us at politics@downstreetmagazine.com . | 