JB Van Hollen, the Republican Attorney General who also coincidentally serves as the co-chair of John McCain's presidential campaign, was on Wisconsin Public Radio today talking about his partisan lawsuit to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters in predominately Wisconsin's cities.
Over and over again Van Hollen referred those opposing his partisan lawsuit, such as the non-partisan League of Women Voters, the Governmental Accountability Board and its six retired judges, as well as disability and voter rights groups as his "opponents."
Read More »It looks like Republican Party efforts to prevent people from voting were dealt a serious blow with news that four of six of the member of the state’s Government Accountability Board failed when their names were process through a new voter identification test.
Why is this news? Because the Republican Party has been trying to get GAB to put in place additional barriers to Wisconsinites having their vote counted.
Read More »Approximately 2.1 million ex-offenders, who have served their sentences, are denied the right to vote in the United States. According to an ACLU study, 62,324 people with felony convictions in Wisconsin are not allowed to vote; however, 61% of these people are no longer incarcerated.
Wisconsin law states that ex-offenders are allowed to vote after they have completed their parole or probationary periods. During these periods, these citizens are being denied the right to vote even though they may be holding jobs, paying taxes, and attempting to become an active part of society again. The right to vote should not be denied to ex-offenders who are on probation/parole.
Read More »Joe Leibham, State Senator from Sheyboygan just won’t stop trying to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters with his hair-brained voter ID scheme. Even as a new audit of the April 1 election found “nearly error-free voting,” Joe “Still Can’t Prove a Voter Fraud Case” Leibham keeps up the voter ID rhetoric.
“I still think there are people getting around those processes,” Leibham childishly retorted when asked about the April election. I once again call on Sen. Leibham to produce one incidence of voter fraud that would have been prevented by his “voter ID” scheme. I don’t expect an answer. Then again, I don’t expect him to end his crusade to stop a problem that doesn’t exist either. I guess that’s the difference between the truth and a Leibham.
Having looked all over my house for my missing driver’s license, it was clear that I needed to make a trip out to the DMV in Madison to get a replacement—a perfect chance to spell out what goes into a trip to the DMV, like thousands of Wisconsinites will have to do if state leggies and “voter ID” advocates Jeff “Poll Tax” Stone and Joe “Can’t Prove a Voter Fraud Case” Liebham had their way and passed a ridiculous voter ID law in Wisconsin.
The DMV office in Madison I went to is open from 8:30-4:15 MWF, and from 10-5:45 Tuesday and Thursday – not exactly convenient for a 9-6 working man. But hey if I want to vote, I need an ID, right Jeff? So I bit the bullet and took off from work at 3 pm on Thursday. So I’m already being charged for my right to vote – losing at least 3 hours of work time, and using 3 hours of my vacation time. So far, total estimated cost: $50.
On “normal” days, I walk to work. But today, since I need my car to get to the far-east side DMV, I had to pay to park - $6 more.
Read More »Thanks to WSJ yesterday for this great response to the Supreme Court's Indiana voter ID ruling. The editorial noted:
Wisconsin votes at just about the highest rate in the nation. Seventy-three percent of Wisconsin's adult population cast ballots in the 2004 presidential election.
...
Wisconsin is virtually the best state in the nation at voting. Our Legislature should strive to keep it that way.
Looks like I got my amen.
In the wake of the 2004 election, Indiana passed a voter ID law, citing the need to preserve electoral integrity and curb the rampant voter fraud that allegedly happens during presidential elections - despite the fact that several studies have shown this problem simply doesn't exist in Indiana, here in Wisconsin, or on a national level at all, for that matter.
Several organizations representing historically disenfranchised groups - namely, African-Americans, senior citizens, and the working poor - challenged this law in the U.S. Supreme Court, saying that it unduly burdens a citizen's right to vote. You'd think the Supreme Court would reject an argument made by lawmakers that this legislation is necessary to protect democracy by targeting a problem that doesn't exist and disenfranchising thousands of people in the process. Read More »
(See http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=8105451&nav=menu203_2)
Rep. Parisi of Madison is currently sponsoring legislation in the Wisconsin Assembly to the same effect.
"Felon voting" was a huge issue in the 2004 Milwaukee elections fiasco. Legislation like this would allow felons who have been put on supervised release to be rewarded for their good behavior with automatic re-enfranchisement, instead of having to obtain a pardon from the governor to restore their voting rights.
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