Not really news, but its official with some big endorsements.
McDonell Announces Bid for County Clerk
County Executive Parisi, Senators Miller and Risser Endorse County Board Chair
Dane County Board Chairman Scott McDonell announced today that he will seek the office of County Clerk in the November 6th election.
“I’ve served the people of Dane County on the Board of Supervisors for 16 years, and serving the County remains my passion,” McDonell said. “As County Clerk I will set an example for our state by standing up for the rights of every family, strengthening the people’s confidence in their elections, and fighting for their right to vote.”
“Scott has been a leader in the effort to protect voter rights and maintain the integrity of our elections,” said County Executive Joe Parisi, who served as Dane County Clerk for eight years. “This dedication, coupled with Scott’s fairness and experience in county government, are what make him the right choice for County Clerk.”
As Clerk, McDonell pledged that he would contact all voters potentially affected by the voter ID law (if it stands as adopted) by using driver license data and voter data to determine who is being disenfranchised. “As County Clerk, I will fight to defend the integrity of our elections by ensuring that all eligible voters, including students, the elderly and people with disabilities, have the opportunity to cast their ballots in our elections,” he said.
“Scott is the kind of leader we need in every level of government,” said Democratic State Senator Mark Miller. “Even after Governor Walker’s voter suppression bill passed the legislature, Scott McDonell stood up for people and their right to vote,” Miller added, referring to McDonell’s initiative to supply free birth certificates to help people obtain voter identification cards to comply with the Republicans’ law requiring such ID cards to vote. The voter ID law has since been struck down in court.
McDonell was awarded the Fair Wisconsin Leadership Award in 2009 for the creation of the domestic partner registry, and pledged to protect the rights of families that have joined and may want to join.
“Scott led the way to the County’s domestic partner registry, which served as a model statewide,” said Democratic State Senator Fred Risser. “Make no mistake — the Republican legislature is going to keep trying to chip away at this kind of thing at the County level. We need a county clerk who knows how to work the system and defend this kind of protection for peoples’ rights.”
McDonell also promised to make Dane County government more user-friendly by utilizing improved information technology to make legislation and committee schedules more accessible to citizens. “I believe that the citizens of Dane County have the right to know what their county government is doing so they can more easily participate in the process,” he said.
Further, McDonell said he’s committed to modernizing antiquated election equipment. “It is time to begin the process of replacing our voting equipment, which has served us well but is getting old,” he said. “We need modern, reliable and easy-to-use voting equipment to ensure accurate and fair elections for years to come.”
First elected to the County Board in 1996, McDonell has served as chair since 2005.
