As the Wisconsin Supreme Court race looks to be decided by just a matter of a few hundred votes, questions naturally arise about potential improprieties that may have been conducted in an effort to “get out the vote.” One such instance occurred in Madison where two taxi cab companies decided to offer free rides as part of a “Democracy in Motion” effort to “support our community by helping people get to the polls.”
The cab companies Union Cab Coop and Badger Cab offered free rides to the polls by request in the Dane County communities of:
- Middleton (Kloppenburg: 68%)
- Monona (Kloppenburg: 75%)
- Shorewood (Kloppenburg: 84%)
- City of Madison (Kloppenburg: 82%)
- Blooming Grove (Kloppenburg: 74%)
- Burke (Kloppenburg: 60%)
- Maple Bluff (Kloppenburg: 59%)
- Fitchberg (Kloppenburg: 68%)
Seems rather benign on the surface, but when one considers the areas in which these cabs served, they voted for the JoAnne Kloppenburg to the tune of 79%.
According to Union Cab Coop, they brought 102 people to the polls yesterday. When Media Trackers contacted Badger Cab they had not compiled the exact numbers but estimates were that they brought “around 50 people” to the polls.
Despite this “non-partisan” facade, Union Cab Coop has posted on their website a series of statements that reveal that there may have been more than meets the eye for these friendly free rides.
On February 15, a statement was published that stated “Union Cab Stands in Solidarity With Public Service Workers” in which Director Scott McCormick noted “it’s important for us to go on record on the side of the people who have been paying our fares and putting food on our tables since 1979.” Union Cab President Butch went on to say “this is not an improvement, but an attack on, not just state workers, but workers in general.”
On February 16, Union Cab Coop posted the names and phone numbers of the eight Republican state senators eligible for recall, urging people to “call them and ask them to stand for clean government and treating workers fairly. Ask them to vote against the Budget Repair Bill.”
On February 24, Union Cab Coop created the Wisconsin Worker Support Fund “to provide transportation of people to key rallies and meetings as well as delivering materials and supplies.” Furthermore, Union Cab Coop admits that that they are “currently in contact with officials from AFSCME, AFT, WEAC, and other labor unions.”
The efforts of Union Cab Coop and Badger Cab can hardly be considered benign and “non-partisan” given the very strong political stance that Union Cab has taken on the budget repair battle and their open affiliation with the labor unions.
Theses two cab companies transported approximately 150 people free of charge to the polls in areas that voted 79% for JoAnne Kloppenburg. According to Union Cab Coop, the average cab ride in Madison costs $15. This would be a cost of around $2,250 to get Dane County Kloppenburg voters to the polls.
In an election decided by a just a couple hundred votes, in a state with the some of the most lax voting laws in the country, and in an era of rising gas prices, is it just a coincidence that these two Madison cab companies, one with significant union ties, drove voters to the polls for free out of the goodness of their hearts? Or was this an orchestrated plan funded by big labor interests to try and drum up a few more votes for JoAnne Kloppenburg in the most liberal county in Wisconsin?
This is likely just the tip of the iceberg in what is sure to be a revealing recount process that could blow the lid off of widespread voting irregularities and improprieties.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.