A forum held by Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, at the Capitol Monday discussed the validity of the controversial contract the State Elections Board signed with Accenture LLP to create a statewide voter registration list last fall.

The contract includes a proposed $13.9 million to create the list, drawn up to comply with the Help America Vote Act, which mandates all states create such a list by Jan. 1, 2006.

Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Executive Director Mike McCabe said that Accenture is known for their voter-less contract with Kansas and Florida.

“This is a company with an extraordinary checkered past and present, and the presence of it being anywhere near the voter registration serves to undermine the confidence [of Wisconsin citizens],” McCabe said.

Wisconsin State Elections Board Executive Director Kevin Kennedy defended the contract, saying it resulted from an open bidding process, which began in 2003 when the Joint Finance Committee granted funding for the study.

The answers to several inquiries about the contract requested by the Joint Finance Committee should arrive Monday, according to Kennedy.

Critics believe the project was overly costly, and a lawsuit filed by Madison attorney Ed Garvey is challenging this, Pocan said.

Garvey said he does not think the process of the Elections Board consulting with the legislators was “open” at all.

“How far has Wisconsin fallen? … It makes one wonder, when you have to file a lawsuit and citizens have to come forward with their own money,” Garvey said. “There is a danger of our entire voting process being privatized.”

Other critics have compared Wisconsin with Minnesota, which constructed a list for only $5 million.

But Kennedy said Wisconsin is much different than most states because it runs elections at the municipal level.

“All of this will change with the Help America Vote Act,” Kennedy said. “One of the changes approved was voter registration in every municipality.”

Wisconsin is also unique because it is one of six states that have Election Day registration, according to Kennedy.

Minnesota started this process 15 years ago, and Kennedy said he is in contact with their officials to learn how their method works. Minnesota shows that creating a voter list is not a simple process, Kennedy said.

The contract binds Wisconsin to Accenture for approximately $26 million, if it can be implemented by the federally mandated deadline, McCabe said.

“[The contract] casts a dark cloud over our elections that will linger for a very long time and make voters suspicious” McCabe said.

The computer software would then be Accenture’s property, and when the contract dies Wisconsin could be faced with starting from scratch, according to McCabe.

“In reality the contract was approved [last] October, and signed in November, when a lot of people were interested in the public election,” Garvey said. “Without consultation the Elections Board signed the contract that binds the state of Wisconsin for decades.”