Last Thursday the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors considered several politically motivated advisory referenda for the November ballot. One of the proposals was about the state’s pre-Roe law that bans most abortions. The proposal failed, receiving one vote less than the required twelve. Staunch pro-life supervisor Deanna Alexander, elected this spring as a write-in candidate after a term off the board, objected to the question and the wording, saying she didn’t want the county giving the impression that because a law is old it’s bad.

These advisory referenda are all about driving certain people to the polls to try to get certain candidates elected. Fortunately, this abortion-related proposal won’t be used as disingenuous bait. This vote is a great example of the truth that elections have consequences. Deanna Alexander’s no vote definitely made a difference in this proposal failing by just one vote.