The Government Accountability Board of Wisconsin has created a new online tool to help inform voters of the voting process and encourage them to register to vote.
According to a GAB statement, MyVote.WI.gov launched Tuesday. Voters can access their voting profiles, look at sample ballots, begin the voter registration process and access various other information on voting.
Due to recent redistricting, the statement said there may be some confusion as to where voters are supposed to vote. The website, which provides this information literally at voters’ fingertips, may help address that confusion.
“Wisconsin’s new voter information portal will empower voters, reduce the workload on local election officials and help ensure fair and transparent elections,” GAB Director Kevin Kennedy said in the statement. “I hope voters will spend a few minutes online today and save themselves time and trouble on Election Day.”
Kennedy said in the statement the site is efficient and secure for overseas or military voters to request absentee ballots and begin the voter registration process, which would be “streamlined” for election clerks who check the printed sheets.
The website is part of GAB’s “Back to the Basics Initiative” through which voters, poll workers and clerks are informed about the election process so Wisconsin can have a “problem-free election in November,” the statement said.
Employees at the American Civil Liberties Union – which also offers information online regarding registration, absentee ballots and voter rights – said it hoped it would be an effective tool for voters, ACLU attorney Karyn Rotker said.
ACLU of Wisconsin spokesperson Stacy Harbaugh said as presidential elections have higher voter turnouts, there may be much more demand from voters on election information so the website will be an effective tool for voters. The ACLU also offers information online regarding registration, absentee ballots and voter rights.
As the website has existed in previous elections, Harbaugh described it as easy to use and helpful to Wisconsin voters. The group, which often gets questions from people about the voting process, sometimes gets answers from the website and frequently directs people there.
Republican Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Nathan Conrad said he was pleased with the new GAB website and the board’s mission to register more voters.
“The Republican Party of Wisconsin wholeheartedly supports increasing voter participation in the state of Wisconsin,” Conrad said. “Any efforts by the GAB to help increase the number of eligible voters is greatly appreciated. In recent years we have seen a dramatic uptick in Republican activism by the voting base and see the GAB’s efforts as helpful in our ability to turn out Republican votes for the upcoming election.”
The ACLU is concerned about misinformation on voting, which may be caused by the voter ID law passed last year, Harbaugh said. To address such confusions, the ACLU is putting together some “know your rights” material with frequently asked questions and other tools people may access.
Harbaugh said the ACLU hopes to be a source for information, but added the GAB is the most reliable in terms of voters being able to check their current voting status.
