Among other things, SB 295 would allow (some) Wisconsinites to register to vote online, but would eliminate “the authority to appoint and use special registration deputies”.
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A new voter registration bill is up for consideration in our state Senate.
A bill to create online voter registration passed the Senate Tuesday night and now is headed to the State Assembly.
While we vigorously support online voter registration, we do not support this version or this legislation.
To register online, voters would need a valid driver’s license or ID card issued by the Department of Transportation.
Students, elderly and low-income individuals are all less likely to have the new forms of new voter ID, and because of this bill these groups are at risk of being disenfranchised. “The bait is that this is going to help registration”.
The Senate is scheduled to take up the measure in a session beginning at 11 a.m. It’s unclear when debate on the bill will begin.
The league, for example, annually registers thousands of voters at senior centers, farmers’ markets, community fairs, high schools and colleges.
The U-S Public Interest Research Group joined several state watchdog groups in opposing the elimination of the registration deputies, saying it would severely limit voter access.
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Democrats offered a series of amendments, including ones to reinstate special registration deputies, delay the launch date for online registration and push back the deadline for absentee ballots, all of which Republicans voted down.
