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Voters advised to register early

JANESVILLE — Voters should register soon to avoid possible long lines or hassles at the polls on Election Day, when turnout is expected to be higher than average.

“This election is going to have one of the highest turnouts in recent history,” Walworth County Clerk Kimberly Bushey said. “I think it will expedite the process if they register at their municipal clerk’s office.”

About 14,000 eligible voters remain unregistered in Walworth County, officials said, and about 30,000 eligible voters remain unregistered in Rock County.

Voter turnout in Rock and Walworth counties is expected to be higher than 66 percent, officials said, and the polls could be crowded.

Voters who register at their municipal clerk’s office by Oct. 10 will get their name on the poll list, officials said. But registering on the day of the election could stall the process.

“If you can do it ahead of time, you’ll save yourself some time,” Rock County Clerk Lori Stottler said.

People should register with the exact same name they have on their driver’s licenses to avoid getting flagged by new software required for the federal Help America Vote Act, a law implemented in 2006.

The law is complicating the voting process, Stottler said.

It requires states to build a database of registered voters and verify those names against driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers.

If a voter’s name on the registration list doesn’t match his or her driver’s license, the name is flagged. Names are flagged for typos or inconsistencies such as using an initial for a middle name.

Election clerks were told to verify names after Aug. 6, when the software began working properly, rather than after Jan. 1, 2006, when the law went into effect.

A lawsuit has since been filed demanding the checks date back to voters who registered after Jan. 1, 2006.

If allowed, thousands of voters could get flagged and removed from the polling list. Those people then would have to register at the polls and provide proof of residency.

“If they get flagged, it’s going to delay their voting rights, no doubt about it,” Stottler said.

Democrats are accusing Republicans of conspiring to reduce voter turnout because Republican Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed the lawsuit.

“It’s becoming a partisan issue,” Stottler said. “It has created a large unknown.”

Regardless, Rock and Walworth counties’ clerks promised to have their staff members help everyone vote, despite any potential setbacks.

“The election inspectors and municipal clerks all work very hard to try and make elections run smoothly,” Bushey said. “We encourage people to get to the polls and vote. It’s a privilege.”