Posted on 12/19/2012 9:31:45 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
Madison - Ending election day registration would likely open the state to lawsuits from groups that believe agencies that administer public benefits aren't doing enough to sign people up to vote, the state's elections board was told Tuesday.
Also Tuesday, the Government Accountability Board was told that a separate proposal to check whether voters are citizens would cost $1.2 million over five years but may identify few problems.
Republicans who will control the Legislature starting next month are considering ending the ability of people to register to vote at the polls, though the idea has foundered lately because of concerns over cost. Staff at the accountability board, which runs state elections, told board members Tuesday that an additional concern would be the likelihood of lawsuits.
Wisconsin is exempt from provisions of federal election laws because it allows people to register at the polls. If it were to end election day registration, it would then be subject to those provisions, which include requiring state workers to give people a chance to register to vote when they get or renew driver's licenses or access public benefits.
If groups do not believe state agencies are following the federal Motor Voter Act, they can sue them. If those groups prevail, taxpayers would have to pay their legal fees.
That disclosure could give further pause to lawmakers who want to end election day registration. GOP Gov. Scott Walker favors ending the practice, but has also said he will not sign the measure if it costs $5.2 million over two years, as the accountability board has estimated. The estimate does not include all costs, and the full figure is expected to rise when information is submitted later this month from other agencies, such as the Department of Transportation.
(Excerpt) Read more at jsonline.com ...
Assault on YOUR right to cast an uncompromised vote in the next election. Too EXPENSiVE to check citizenship of registering voters? I can’t believe what I am reading! Third world nations do a better job of protecting the integrity of the vote.
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
The harder it is to vote, the better.
This would be better done by volunteers, instead of having a taxpayer-paid initial search. The protests would include the steps taken to try to find the voter.
Just a thought.
Tho it is hard to say successfully as an elected official, same day registration IS fraud.
Great idea, except that we did something similar during the recall working with True the Vote. The odius Government Accountibility Board refused to accept our findings.
Fire the GAB and fire their highly paid staff — especially that clown, Kevin Kennedy! I’ve watched KK undermine the integrity of our elections for more than 20 years. I want to see him on the unemployment line, and I want to see his fat state pension suspended.
Just a thought...
not in all cases. what it does do is allow fraud to occur, and it negats the valid voters that are registered, same day, or beforehand.
if votng is so important one can make the effort to register well before election day.
“...agencies that administer public benefits aren’t doing enough to sign people up to vote...”
It is the responsibility of citizens to vote. If they do not want to make the effort, leave them alone.
Disband the GAB and fire the staff sounds like a great idea.
Would an eyewitness account work? This last election there were waves of people trying to register who freely admitted they couldn’t prove their address, some even said they were trying to register at an address they did not reside at. Mom and I are both election inspectors, we both were there to see it.
(One guy learned the hard way that my mother cannot be browbeaten.)
I think I replied to the wrong post, but you get the idea.
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