This post originally appeared at https://badgerbubbler.com/news/the-wisconsin-election-have-you-read-it
Here’s the oath every state and municipal elected official (and some not elected) has to take and sign when taking office.
Wisconsin Statute 19.01
19.01(1)(1) Form of oath. Every official oath required by article IV, section 28 (Members of the legislature, and all officers, executive and judicial, except such inferior officers as may be by law exempted, shall before they enter upon the duties of their respective offices, take and subscribe an oath or affirmation to support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Wisconsin, and faithfully to discharge the duties of their respective offices to the best of their ability), of the constitution or by any statute shall be in writing, subscribed and sworn to and except as provided otherwise by s. 757.02 and SCR 40.15, shall be in substantially the following form:
State of Wisconsin, County of ….
I, the undersigned, who have been elected (or appointed) to the office of …., but have not yet entered upon the duties thereof, swear (or affirm) that I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Wisconsin, and will faithfully discharge the duties of said office to the best of my ability. So help me God.
…. ….,
Subscribed and sworn to before me this …. day of …., …. (year)
….(Signature)….,
(1m) Form of oral oath. If it is desired to administer the official oath orally in addition to the written oath prescribed above, it shall be in substantially the following form:
I, …., swear (or affirm) that I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Wisconsin, and will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the office of …. to the best of my ability. So help me God.
The Wisconsin Constitution is only 17 pages long. While listening to a David King podcast about the constitution, I got to thinking about how many of the elected officials have actually read the Wisconsin Constitution, to say nothing of so-called patriots and other self-proclaimed “constitutionalists”. So I asked a few elected officials and a friend who described herself as a “constitutional conservative”. I admitted to them that I hadn’t read it until a few weeks ago. Only the constitutional conservative and a Justice said they had read the Wisconsin Constitution.
I would like to propose to every legislative body that they call a session or incorporate into one of their first sessions the public reading of the Wisconsin Constitution, including every member participating by reading a section of the document.
I would like to propose to every legislative body that they call a session or incorporate into one of their first sessions the public reading of the Wisconsin Constitution, including every member participating by reading a section of the document.
It seems to me that taking an oath to something one’s never read is a false oath.