Axing same-day registration in Wis. would cost $5M
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Doing away with same-day voter registration in Wisconsin would cost nearly $5.2 million initially, and nearly $1 million every year after that, state elections officials said in a memo that comes as talk of changing the law heats up.
The report from the Government Accountability Board delivered to lawmakers on Friday came after two Republicans said they will introduce a proposal next year to repeal Wisconsin’s law allowing voters to register at the polls. Such a move would make the whole process of voting more complex and costly, the GAB said. The state would have to make changes that include offering new ways for people to register to vote.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker said earlier this month he would sign such a bill, but it’s not a priority for him and he won’t be pushing the issue in the Legislature. His spokeswoman Jocelyn Webster said Tuesday that any issue like eliminating same-day voter registration that is outside of his five priorities is a “distraction.”
Republican Senate President Mike Ellis stressed Tuesday that GOP senators haven’t discussed the issue yet.
The legislative session begins Jan. 7.
Wisconsin, which has had same-day registration since 1976, is one of eight states allowing it.
California and Connecticut have approved it, but the laws have not yet taken effect.
The law is often cited as one reason Wisconsin is a leader in voter turnout. About 70 percent of Wisconsin’s voting-age population cast ballots in the November presidential election.
Republicans, including Walker, have long talked about doing away with it claiming that it’s a burden on local election officials and increases the chances of voter fraud. Democrats and other supporters of same-day registration say it’s a vital tool to help first-time voters and others unable to register in advance of the election to cast their ballots.
Between 10 percent and 15 percent of people who vote either update their information on election day or register at the polls, the GAB report said.
Wisconsin was not subject to a pair of major federal voter laws — 1993’s National Voter Registration Act and 2002’s Help America Vote Act — because it has same-day registration. Elimination of the state law would make Wisconsin immediately subject to both those federal laws, the GAB report said.
That would require the state to establish a system for offering voter registration services at Division of Motor Vehicle offices where people get their driver’s licenses as well as at agencies that provide public assistance or administer programs that assist people with disabilities, the report said.
Even if the state law were overturned, federal law would still require poll workers on election day to update voters’ registration information if they have moved within their jurisdiction, the report said. Poll workers would also be required to issue provisional ballots to anyone not registered but who declare they are registered, the report said.
The initial cost over two years would be nearly $5.2 million. That includes $1.9 million in voter list maintenance expenses, $1.2 million in information technology costs, $1.2 million in public outreach and education and $800,000 in training and staffing.
A more detailed report, including expenses for other state agencies that would be affected by the law change, was expected to be completed in weeks.
Incoming Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who has introduced a proposal to do away with same-day registration in the past, said earlier this month that he was open to eliminating same-day registration but hadn’t spoken with Walker about it.
Vos did not immediately return messages left with his spokeswoman Tuesday.
Republican Sen. Alberta Darling and Rep. Joel Kleefisch said last week they would propose doing away with the law. Kleefisch said he was talking with others about the bill, but echoed Walker’s comments by saying it wasn’t a priority. He said he hadn’t reviewed the GAB report.
“Any time you talk about taxpayer dollars paying for anything and it’s in the millions, it gives you pause,” he said.
Darling’s spokesman Bob Delaporte said she had not reviewed the GAB report and had no comment.
Sen. Chris Larson, the incoming Democratic Senate leader, said he didn’t think Republicans pushing for a law change would be swayed by the report.
“A lot of what they’re doing is ideological,” Larson said. “They are fundamentally committed to making it harder for people to vote in our state. I don’t think they care so much if it costs the state money. Their goal is to try and cut down the number of voters we have in the state of Wisconsin, period.”
Dec 13, 2012 at 7:37 p.m.
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Same registration requirements are not the same....duh.
Dec 13, 2012 at 10:04 a.m.
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Spinning is when you take a 2 sentence snippet of what is required to provide proof of residence and saying that is all you need to register to vote.
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Facts are, you still have to provide ID when registering along with proof of residence. The ID doesn't have to be pictured, but ID none the less and types that you don't just print off on your printer at home. You seem to not be able to grasp this concept.
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"What do I
need to bring
when I
register to
vote?
If you have been issued a WI driver license and it is current and valid, you must provide the
number and expiration date. If you have not been issued a WI driver license you must provide
either your WI DOT-issued ID number OR the last 4 digits of your Social Security number."
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From the guidelines published in Sept. of 2012
Dec 13, 2012 at 9:54 a.m.
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spinning? is that what you call a copy/paste job right from the gov. website on what's required?
Dec 13, 2012 at 7 a.m.
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If you did you would see you very first comments about needing and ID to to do same day registration is false. Spinning details only makes you look more foolish.
Dec 12, 2012 at 11:49 p.m.
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I did,
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Proof of Residence
The following constitute acceptable Proof-of-Residence if the document contains your current name and address and is valid on Election Day (unless otherwise indicated):
A current and valid Wisconsin driver license.
A current and valid Wisconsin identification card.
Any other official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin governmental body or unit.
Any identification card issued by an employer in the normal course of business and bearing a photo of the card holder, but not including a business card.
A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date of the election.
A residential lease which is effective for a period that includes election day (NOT for first-time voters registering by mail).
A university, college or technical institute identification card (must include photo), ONLY if the bearer provides a fee receipt dated within the last nine months or the institution provides a certified housing list to the municipal clerk.
A gas, electric or telephone service statement (utility bill) for the period commencing not earlier than 90 days before election day.
Bank statement.
Paycheck.
A check or other document issued by a unit of government.
-http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/voter...
a little different than the snippet you posted, and ALL of these require you to prove you are who you say you are before you get them unless of course you're really trying to avoid the law, in which case, a photo ID would be pretty easy considering all the hurdles they'd have to jump to get a job, create a fake tax liability, create a fake Identity and get fake pay checks, just to cast another ballot.
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It's easy to be creative in one's mind, much more difficult in reality where the rest of us live.
Dec 12, 2012 at 8:21 p.m.
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Zdog read the law before commenting.
Dec 12, 2012 at 6:37 p.m.
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The ink bottle would be a good idea. Just think how bad the 1% would cry because they would have to get their finger dirty!!! heh heh
Dec 12, 2012 at 2:30 p.m.
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The ink bottle would be to easy
Dec 12, 2012 at 2:29 p.m.
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Raf, those are the requirements to prove residence, but not all thats necessary to register. Drivers license, state issued id, bank accounts, govt issued pay checks etc, are also needed. You know, those things you have to provixe soc sec#s for and prove you are who you say you are.
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Unless of course you're suggesting that massive numbers of people are getting jobs to create false ids to vote or comitting folnies by opening fraudulent bank accounts and then having fake homes under fake names with fake tax roles and fake utlity accou.ts just so they can get another ballot. If they're going to those lengths I'm guessing a fake photo id wouldnt be too difficult.
Dec 12, 2012 at 1:12 p.m.
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"Just think of all the money that could be saved if we didn't even ask people for their names at the polls...that would make the left SO happy."
I'd be happy with an ink bottle at the polls. No names required. So easy a third world country could do it.
Dec 12, 2012 at 12:33 p.m.
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"...there is no direct cost to the voter for the free ID..."
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916, your claim of the "free" ID came from your convervative bizzarro mind. Whom do you THINK is paying for the "free" ID, the Koch brothers? Not likely.
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Who's the drama queen, 916? No one has ever suggested that NO form of ID is necessary when registering to vote. Just an observation but you seem to be having more difficulty today than usual in your attempts to grasp what's being discussed.:)
Dec 12, 2012 at 11:36 a.m.
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Motorman......It's too funny when you turn into a drama queen! We already need to carry "papers" in order to prove who we are when we register to vote....no? You never seemed to have a problem with this before--I guess the lure of the cage is strong with you too:)
Dec 12, 2012 at 11:31 a.m.
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Red........Where in your liberal bizzarro world did I say that "taxes are not a direct cost to taxpayers"?
Dec 12, 2012 at 11:07 a.m.
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Just think of all the money we could save if only the rich could vote
Dec 12, 2012 at 10:50 a.m.
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"...there is no direct cost to the voter for the free ID..."
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Imagine that, according to 916, taxes are not a direct cost to taxpayers. So that makes it OK to force voters to obtain a photo ID in an effort to thwart a problem that doesn't exist. Gee, hard to argue with that logic.
Dec 12, 2012 at 10:34 a.m.
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Red......Well, seeing as how you seem to be against it, the rules set up for voter ID should come as some comfort to you that there is no direct cost to the voter for the free ID that will soon have to be displayed at the polls:)
Dec 12, 2012 at 10:30 a.m.
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No person against voter ID can point to any case of suppression conviction because of voter ID.
Dec 12, 2012 at 10:14 a.m.
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No person in favor of voter ID can prove that more than .0002% of vote fraud exists is WI. And those numbers represent fraud cases that a voter ID would NOT have prevented. In fact, UFO sightings are more common than incidents of vote fraud. As my favorite conservative Steven Colbert joked, “our democracy is under siege from an enemy so small it could be hiding anywhere”. The Republican line of reasoning goes like this, Voter fraud exists but we can't prove it - if we can't prove it then it must be true. Next thing you know conservatives will be claiming that cutting taxes will increase revenue.
Dec 12, 2012 at 9:45 a.m.
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The 5 Million cost, is just a number pulled out of the air by the GAB.
Dec 12, 2012 at 9:32 a.m.
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Well known repub Paul Weyrich said in a speech in 1980: "I don't want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of the people. They never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down."
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It sounds like the right wingers would LOVE to suppress votes. Everything they are doing is just to make voting more difficult...at any cost.
Dec 12, 2012 at 9:31 a.m.
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"AT THE POLLING PLACE ON ELECTION DAY: If you wish to register to vote at your polling place, you must bring proof that you reside at your present location. For purposes of voter registration, acceptable forms of proof of residence must include:
A current and complete name, including both the given and family name; and
A current and complete residential address, including a numbered street address, if any, and the name of a municipality."
NO ID REQUIRED, also nothing to PROVE you are the person on the data provided.
Dec 12, 2012 at 9:17 a.m.
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I think the Right is under the impression that only their votes will be not be suppressed. Interesting usaret?
Dec 12, 2012 at 9:06 a.m.
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I guess forgetting two letters did make me look foolish. Fact still remains, nobody in the state of WI can register to vote without first providing proof they are who they say they are.
Dec 12, 2012 at 8:48 a.m.
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Here is how political parties commit fraud with same day voter registration:
Swamp election officials with overwhelming numbers of registrations at the last possible minute, a huge proportion of which are deliberately fraudulent, in order to create systematic chaos. This accomplishes numerous goals:
Makes verification of registrations difficult, given the small size and limited budgets of state and local election offices.
Provides multiple opportunities for vote fraud.
Throws the entire voting process into question, providing pretext for lawsuits where concessions may be obtained from election officials.
When election officials challenge registrations, they are accused of “voter suppression.” This in turn serves complementary goals:
Dec 12, 2012 at 8:35 a.m.
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Actually Motorman, judging by the way the republicans took control of every branch of our state's government, the majority do want Voter ID laws to be enacted. It was something that was pushed by the republican party as a whole and it will become a reality in this state whether you like it or not. I have long held the stance that there is room for compromise. As long as we have Voter ID legislation implemented, I have no issue with same day registration.........
Dec 12, 2012 at 8:02 a.m.
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zdog guess you DON'T know the laws of this state. Perhaps you should read them before looking foolish...
http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/voter...
Dec 12, 2012 at 8:02 a.m.
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Motorman, you really believe that, good lord. neither encumbers anything, ID is just common sense, you can buy all the propaganda you want that continues a victim mentality but if you seriously THINK about it there is no rational reason you can say what you just said.
Dec 12, 2012 at 7:33 a.m.
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Here's an easy compromise, keep same day voting but have voter ID, I know that makes too much sense for the crazy partisans on here.
Dec 12, 2012 at 7:30 a.m.
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so wislady, how is registering on the day of voting any different than registering any other day of the year? Do they allow different forms of ID? Is there an extra layer of scrutiny other days of the year? Is there an extra review process for those that register 2 months ahead rather than than they day of?
And voter ID wouldn't have near as much resistance if it was just about showing a picture ID. The problem is, it's not.
Dec 12, 2012 at 7:19 a.m.
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Well in my opinion this is another way for a politician to hang on to his seat by controling who votes.
Dec 12, 2012 at 6:36 a.m.
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This was my comment, read and comprehend.
"Eliminate same day registration, OR get the Voter ID going, either one would help."
Dec 12, 2012 at 6:33 a.m.
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RAF, tell me ONE, ONE place in the state of WI you can register to vote without a photo, state approved ID, JUST ONE. are you that ignorant on voting laws?????? if you are, maybe you shouldn't partake in so many discussions.
Dec 12, 2012 at 4:03 a.m.
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Wonder why the leftists aren't taking the majority of states, over 40 of them, to federal court on suppression charges since they don't have same day registration? Why are they also silent that many of the states that do have same day ALSO require photo ID to do it...yeah I know discussing all the information is not what the circus brigade really want to do.
Dec 12, 2012 at 3:46 a.m.
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..and RAF gives yet another non-answer
Dec 12, 2012 at 2:19 a.m.
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Just think of all the money that could be saved if we didn't even ask people for their names at the polls...that would make the left SO happy.
Dec 12, 2012 at 1 a.m.
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I would be interested in seeing Wislady's evidence that eliminating same day voter registration will help straighten anything out.
Dec 12, 2012 at 12:28 a.m.
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5 million is such a small price to pay to keep more minorities and poor people away. Republicans are quickly becoming what we always knew they were. The old wealthy white mans party, and the poor stupid racist white man's party. Dont like the truth find a cause to believe in. Suppressing votes and greed is the only issues republicans address nowadays. No belief about what a society should be about just save money and continue oppressing minorities and poor people into a permanent underclass. Dont like the narrative? Tell me why I am wrong, only examples will do, no rhetoric please, RAF, Midnight, Darlene.
Dec 11, 2012 at 11:29 p.m.
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wislady how does banning same day registration straighten anything out? where is any evidence let alone fact that same day registration leads to vote fraud? if it does has the attorney general not indicted anyone? This is all about suppressing the vote. as for comparing the cost of the recall and this the recall cost was a one time thing this will cost a million per year and at least with the recall money some of that was spent with local businesses.
Dec 11, 2012 at 10:33 p.m.
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I think the Left is under the impression that only their votes will be suppressed. Interesting?
Dec 11, 2012 at 9:02 p.m.
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$5M to suppress the vote? A bargain to the GOP. How so many people support these un-American, anti-democracy, right-wing thugs, I will never understand.
Dec 11, 2012 at 7:42 p.m.
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What was that figure for the cost of the recalls (do overs)? Very much higher than the cost of getting the elections straightened out. Eliminate same day registration, or get the Voter ID going, either one would help.
Dec 11, 2012 at 7:17 p.m.
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“Any time you talk about taxpayer dollars paying for anything and it’s in the millions, They in reality do not care As it is not their money and this has absolutely nothing to do with the budget and to suggest this is just insane. Of course most of the GOP are insane, when it comes to not caring about the cost to the working class. They only have interest of the ones that they can lie to about anything and get away with it and to those that can finance their campaigns and attempt to buy this State and Country.
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