One Step Closer to Weeding Out Voter Fraud in Wisconsin

Source: Republican Party of Wisconsin



Members of the Wisconsin Legislative Council’s bipartisan Special Committee on Election Law took a major step towards cleaning Wisconsin’s election system by approving a comprehensive reform package that would significantly improve the state’s flawed election system. Among the highlights of the package are: the elimination of special registration deputies who have been found to falsify voter registration forms, training requirements for election officials and poll workers, a measure to prevent felons from voting and improvements in the counting of ballots from military personal. The package will now go to the full Council for final approval before it goes to the legislature.

The proposals are introduced on the heels of a study released by the Legislative Audit Bureau in September that found a staggering number of problems with Wisconsin’s election system. Among the chief concerns were inconsistencies in voter registration requirements, improperly trained poll workers and flaws in the procedures for updating and verifying voter registration lists. The report also recommended prohibiting compensation for registering voters. In the Nov. ’04 elections, four ACORN/Project Vote workers were charged with felony election fraud for filling out multiple voter-registration cards using fictitious information to earn money.

“We commend the committee for their diligent study of Wisconsin’s election system and their action to address problems by coming up with effective solutions,” said Rick Graber, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “This package is a fantastic start towards weeding out voter fraud. However, there is still much more that needs to be done.”

The election reform package does not include a photo ID requirement, thus preventing a likely veto from Governor Jim Doyle, who has refused to enact photo ID three times. Instead, a photo ID proposal will be taken directly to the voters as Republican legislators try to amend the Constitution to make it a requirement.

“The fact that this reform package does not include photo ID means the Governor won’t get to grandstand on it for a fourth time,” said Graber. “Instead, voters will have the opportunity to demonstrate to Doyle that photo ID is crucial to eliminating voter fraud and ensuring the integrity of our election system.”