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GOP questions voting integrity

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by Yana Paskova

Friday, January 28, 2005

Echoing the string of post-election scandals of previous presidential elections, an analysis of last November’s voting records in Milwaukee show more than 1,200 ballots were cast with invalid addresses or by nonexistent voters.

A number of those votes were among those questioned by the Republican Party as nonexistent in the week prior to Election Day. Moreover, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported about 8,300 more votes were actually cast than the number of voters the city recorded.

Rick Graber, chairman of the State Republican Party, said the election obviously involved many irregularities and incompetence. For instance, Graber received reports that some polling places never opened the envelopes listing questionable addresses.

“The voting process has lost its integrity in our state,” he said.

Graber added he was concerned that when the ballots with invalid addresses were combined with the surplus ballots in Milwaukee alone, it would be “pretty close” to the margin of victory of John Kerry for the state of Wisconsin. Kerry defeated President George W. Bush in the Badger State by roughly 12,000 votes.

In addition, 75 percent of voters with invalid addresses registered at the polls on Election Day. Wisconsin is one of few states that still allow same-day registration.

Graber listed changing current election laws — including banning same-day registration — as possible solutions for avoiding a similar fiasco in the future.

“We need to start with requiring photo identification,” he said. “It is ridiculous that someone can show a utility bill or a magazine subscription, or that someone can vouch for someone else.”

Gov. Jim Doyle opposes a photo-identification requirement and has said he believes most of the problems were probably due to processing glitches, not fraud. Graber said he was “very surprised” at the governor’s reaction to the Milwaukee incident.

According to Melanie Fonder, press secretary for Doyle, the governor has repeatedly said he wants more people to vote in the most convenient way possible. She added he does not think requiring photo identification would allow voting to remain convenient.

“This means thousands of older Wisconsin residents — and, for example, the governor’s mom — would have to go stand in line at the DMV to get an ID when they have been voting in the elections since they were 18,” she said. “We don’t need to make it harder for people to vote.”

Lisa Artison, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, said the Statewide Voter Registration System, which is scheduled to commence in 2006, will significantly enhance the state’s abilities in all aspects of voter registration.

She added the Milwaukee Election Commission is working toward improvements in future election processes with the Mayor’s Election Commission Task Force and the State Legislative Council’s Committee on Election Law Review.

“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy; anyone who abuses that public trust should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Artison said in an e-mail.

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Anonymous (January 28, 2005 @ 7:47pm):

"We need to start with requiring photo identification," he said. "It is ridiculous that someone can show a utility bill or a magazine subscription, or that someone can vouch for someone else."

Photo identification could easily be forged. Wisconsin has some of the most available, democractic voter-registration guidelines in the nation.

Also, most students id's have their permanent addresses, not their current. Anyone for a negation of local participation in the voting process?

Anonymous (January 29, 2005 @ 10:09am):

"Wisconsin has some of the most available, democractic voter-registration guidelines in the nation."

No doubt about it, it's easier to vote in Wisconsin than to get a license to fish or own a dog. You can vote from a vacant lot or even from the grave. You can also vote as many times as you want - now that's a bonus!

Anonymous (January 29, 2005 @ 11:08am):

The Republicans are right about this issue insofar as there will not be clean elections in Wisconsin until these loopholes are closed. They're wrong, however, in trying to use this issue to distract from the larger issue of their attempts to systematically disenfranchise large numbers of minority voters who tend to vote Democratic. Just as the sort of voter fraud they complain about should be prevented and penalized, the appalling behavior by Republican officials in intentionally limiting the number of ballot boxes in inner cities and issuing blanket challenges against minority voters is illegal. We all know what was done, particularly in Milwaukee's poorer precincts, and some Republican officials have proudly admitted their involvement in this criminal behavior. Isn't that ironic -- admitted felons complaining that felons should not be allowed to vote.

Anonymous (January 30, 2005 @ 3:53pm):

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT ITS 3ASEIR 2 VOTA IN WISCONSIN THAN 2 GET A LIECNS3 2 FISH OR OWN A DOG - AND TAHTS ABSOLUTALY HORIBLE11!1! LOL TEH RIGHT 2 FISH OR OWN A DOG IS SACROSANCT IN THIS COUNTRY!1!11! WTF ACESS 2 DA POLLS?!?!!!?? WTF LOL WUT A JOKE!1!!!1! LOL ITS 3V3N ENSHRIEND IN US CODE TITLE 42 CHAPT3R 20 SUBCHAPT3R I-H