It’s Election Time Again – Be Prepared

by Steve Panten

August 9th is primary election day in Wisconsin. Hopefully, the adults you know remembered to vote. Everyone has the right and duty to vote and when the votes are counted, everyone’s vote counts the same as everyone else’s. In this way, the lowliest ABATE member has the same influence as the most famous celebrity.

It’s election time again! Elections are the time for us, as citizens to get to choose who we want to represent us in Madison or Washington DC. Which candidates have helped us in the past and which ones have thrown out roadblocks? Is your representative up for re-election? Were they supportive of your rights as a motorcyclist? What is their position on protecting our fuel supply, or autonomous vehicles? What is their vision for the future of transportation in the State of Wisconsin? The election on August 9th is a Primary Election to determine who will be on the ballot in November, but in some cases that is who is going to win the seat.

Before you get to the polling place, you will need to know the answer to these questions. Sometimes you can’t believe the commercials and speeches, so the best way to learn about the candidate is to talk to them, and then look at voting records. If a candidate is running for re-election in Madison you can go on the State Legislature website, legis@wisconsin.gov, and go to their profile. This is a great place to learn what bills this legislator authored, what committees they were on, and what organizations they belong to in the district.

Every election is important to shape our government, but motorcyclists have a very large fight happening where we are not sure that we will even exist. Technology is pushing forward without any regulation or controls in place. While all this is going on, we will need someone in Washington DC and in Madison that is watching out for us. We are looking at motorcycle bans in some countries, shoot on site directives in Malaysia, and regulating when motorcycles can travel on roads in other areas. While none of this is currently happening in Wisconsin, other states have tried banning motorcycles from roadways, so this could easily happen.

We have been working with the AMA on a ban of motorcycles on the ice in the Town of Oconomowoc. The ordinance would ban motorcycles from operating on the ice but would allow ATV/UTV’s and snowmobiles access. While this sounds like discrimination, it is allowed by the DNR and has already been passed in some communities. State Statute states that the communities surrounding a body of water can regulate which vehicles can operate on the ice and how they operate. In the case of the Town of Oconomowoc, the body of water (pond) is completely in the Town so they can control the access to it.

We drafted a letter that was sent to the elected officials and lawyers, voicing our opposition to the ordnance but this is how it happens. Motorcycle bans can happen quickly and quietly if people are not paying attention. We need to stay engaged on all issues even on the local level. Luckily, the AMA learned about this the day before the vote was to happen and were able to delay it. They then reached out to us for support and together, we are working on addressing this issue. Now this goes back to elections. Even local elections. Know who is running and what their position is on motorcycling and then, what has their position been in the past.

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s Meeting of the Minds is in Iowa this year in September. If you are interested in attending, please let me know. We still have scholarships available. It is a great opportunity to hear what is happening in other states and learn from their wins and losses.

There is a lot happening in the world that will affect motorcycling as we know it. The EU said that by 2035 there will no longer be combustion engines. Honda is no longer going to manufacture the Gold Wing. Cities are banning motorcycles. But yet, in Wisconsin we have been able to convince the Department of Transportation to include combustion engine vehicles and motorcycles in general into their Connect 2050 Plan. In Wisconsin, the motorcyclists are doing something right. Thank you for doing your part.

That’s it-

Steve