Fair & Equal Moves Ahead

Over the weekend, the Fair & Equal Campaign announced that it would be canvassing this fall, going door to door explaining the inequity of Hudson's weighted vote system, why it matters, and how it can be changed at the polls this November. 

This morning, the campaign confirmed that it has met the requirements to have the initiative to create wards of equal population appear on the ballot in November. The press release announcing that follows:

Tomorrow, September 7, at 10 a.m., the Fair & Equal Campaign will present to City Clerk Tracy Delaney far more than the required number of signatures to finally give Hudson voters the choice of replacing the weighted vote system on Election Day. 

Repeatedly in the last year, the Common Council chose not to create a public process to address the weighted vote. A group of Hudson residents took the only reasonable and expedient alternative and put the issue directly in the hands of the people. They established Fair & Equal to draw a new ward map and place it on the ballot this November. Instead of the current unfair ward boundaries, which give some aldermen nearly four times the voting power of others, the proposed map establishes wards of equal population and equal voting power in the Council.

There is no doubt that a significant number of Hudson residents enthusiastically support this referendum initiative. While required initially to present the signatures of 152 voters, Fair & Equal presented 318. The Common Council’s response was to block the initiative, and defend the weighted vote. Then, to override this Council failure, Fair & Equal was required to collect another 76 signatures. In fact, the signatures of an additional 120 voters will be presented to the City tomorrow. This widespread support from all five wards ensures that Fair & Equal’s proposed ward map will be on the ballot. The power to correct the City’s unfair and very likely unconstitutional ward system no longer lies with the dysfunctional Common Council. It belongs to Hudson’s citizens.

COPYRIGHT 2016 CAROLE OSTERINK