Politico today featured pleasantly balanced coverage of the Employee Free Choice Act debate, which has dominated political arguments in recent days. House Republican Leader John Boehner made it clear that the "GOP won't compromise" on this measure and said "this will be a long fight, but House Republicans will continue to stand up for American workers and fight attempts by powerful special interests to eliminate the secret ballot."

Republican Senator George Voinovich also spoke out, writing this:

I believe a common-sense example makes clear why a secret ballot election is so fundamental to determining the wishes of employees. Workers may agree to a certain course of conduct, such as signing a petition or authorization card, not because they believe it is the best course of action for them but because they know that some of their co-workers — and, given the way Americans tend to develop relationships with co-workers, likely their friends — are strongly supportive of union representation. 

That is, if one of your co-workers and friends feels strongly about union representation, I would suspect that you might be more likely to agree to sign a petition in favor of this position because you do not wish to offend that person. While there is nothing nefarious about a desire to have good relationships with our co-workers and friends, I believe that a private ballot allows individuals to vote their conscience, without their employers or co-workers knowing how they voted — and without the social pressure that would accompany such a process. 

You can also catch a quick video of interviews with those who oppose and support the legislation. Most House Republicans oppose the bill, often referred to as "card check." At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this year, House Republican Chairman Mike Pence said, "By pushing for Card Check, Democrats are trying to drive democracy from the workplace…but the working men and women of America deserve better and Republicans will defend their right to a secret ballot. And the freedom to listen to what we want, who we want, when we want is also a blood-bought American right."