US uncut: Wisconsin Nightmare?

[amborin]

When Wisconsin Democrats vote in their state’s presidential primary on April 5, thousands of them may be turned away after waiting in line for hours.

The voter ID law Governor Scott Walker signed in 2011 is one of the most stringent in the country, in that it severely limits the types of photo ID accepted at voting precincts.

As ThinkProgress’ Alice Ollstein pointed out, veterans and college students are unable to vote with the identification cards provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs and state universities. The coming presidential primary will be the first major election in which voters will have to contend with the strict new law, with critics resoundingly agreeing that it has a dampening effect on turnout. In the most recent Supreme Court election, turnout was desperately low, down to as little as 8 percent in Eau Claire County.

“I definitely see the new I.D. requirement as a deterrent,” University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire freshman Nathan Gilger told WEAU. “It feels more like a chore to vote.”

College students make up one of Bernie Sanders’ largest demographics, as the Vermont senator has captured a wide majority of the 18-29 voter demographic in nearly all primary and caucus states to date, even in states which he lost to Hillary Clinton by wide margins.

For example, young voters went for Bernie by a 59-41 margin in Clinton’s home state of Arkansas on Super Tuesday. And in Florida’s March 15 primary, where the former Secretary of State beat Sanders by a nearly 2-1 margin, Sanders still captured 64 percent of voters between ages 18 and 29. College students in Wisconsin intending to vote for Sanders, however, may find themselves hamstrung by the state’s voter ID law.

When the controversial voter ID bill was passed, it was done so with the intention of allocating roughly $500,000 in public funds for a statewide education campaign letting voters know what the ID requirements were ahead of time. However, this money was never appropriated, meaning thousands of voters will go to the polls largely in the dark about what identification they need to have in order to participate in the Democratic process.

Opponents of the law argue that the new ID requirements may disenfranchise up to 350,000 voters in the 2016 election cycle.....

snip

http://usuncut.com/politics/wisconsin-voter-id-nightmare/

[flor-de-jasmim]

1. I'd bet they found money to inform Republicans...

[Kang Colby]

2. WTF? What's so hard about bringing a

drivers license or free ID card to the polls? I don't see the issue here.

[Trenzalore]

3. Well if you don't drive

You probably don't have a driver's license. People who don't drive tend to be less economically advantaged or elderly.

[Kang Colby]

5. The list of acceptable forms of ID is huge...

http://bringit.wisconsin.gov/do-i-have-right-photo-id

[Trenzalore]

8. The PA supreme court struck down these laws

The biggest reason was that getting the "Free ID" wasn't as easy as implied.

Also getting to the locations they were issued at (driver's license centers) wasn't convenient to urban populations.

[shraby]

33. Before walker, we could register to vote right at the polls on election day.

[Kang Colby]

38. That works for me...as long as people show ID. n/t

[mythology]

54. Given that the documented cases of voter fraud can almost literally be counted on my fingers

why?

There is no compelling case for requiring an ID to vote. The compelling case for these sorts of laws is that undesirables like minorities, the poor and students have a harder time getting them. In other words, people most likely to vote Democratic. The only reasons for these laws is to limit the turnout of likely Democratic voters.

[Kang Colby]

55. I get your point. Thank you for the respectful dialogue.

Simply because it might benefit us, I still have concerns about fraud. I do not put it past Trump supporters to abuse this insecure system.

[Scuba]

59. After Signing Law Disenfranchising ID-less Voters, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Closes 10 DMV Offices

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/07/25/277592/walker-closes-dmvs/

Earlier this year, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker became one of the many GOP governors to sign a law disenfranchising voters who do not have a photo ID — a law that disproportionately affects elderly voters, young voters, students, minorities and low-income voters. Having disenfranchised tens of thousands of Wisconsin voters, Walker is now making it harder for many of these voters to obtain the ID they need to regain their right to participate in the next election:

Gov. Scott Walker’s administration is working on finalizing a plan to close as many as 10 offices where people can obtain driver’s licenses in order to expand hours elsewhere and come into compliance with new requirements that voters show photo IDs at the polls.

One Democratic lawmaker said Friday it appeared the decisions were based on politics, with the department targeting offices for closure in Democratic areas and expanding hours for those in Republican districts. […] Rep. Andy Jorgensen, D-Fort Atkinson, called on the state Department of Transportation to reconsider its plants to close the Fort Atkinson DMV center. The department plans to expand by four hours a week the hours of a center about 30 minutes away in Watertown. […]
“What the heck is going on here?” Jorgensen said. “Is politics at play here?”

Since voter impersonation is virtually non-existent, and that's the only kind of election or voter fraud than can be foiled by voter ID, it's not hard to connect the dots, at least if one isn't willfully ignorant.

[Vincardog]

4. Are you a 76 yo black woman? How about a 21 yo PR poor person? White people often can't see their

Privilege

[Kang Colby]

6. The list of acceptable forms of ID is huge...

http://bringit.wisconsin.gov/do-i-have-right-photo-id

Without at least one of these, you can't even apply for housing (or welfare). The voters ID is free.

[Vincardog]

10. The voters ID is free? They mail them out?

[Kang Colby]

16. If someone can make it to a polling location, they can make it to DMV location.

Otherwise, they can mail their ballot in which doesn't require ID.

I think voter ID laws make sense if they cut down on fraud and are reasonable.

[kristopher]

17. What fraud? It's a solution in search of a problem.

[Kang Colby]

20. Without ID, there is no mechanism to ensure people aren't casting fraudulent votes using

other peoples' identity.

So I'm supposed to believe there are legions of poor voters who somehow managed to register to vote, but can't manage to receive a free voter ID OR a mail-in ballot?

I think it's funny as heck that you have folks crying about "rigged" elections and the evils of Diebold, meanwhile the same kind of morons don't think ID should be required at the polls. LOL

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Here is the extent of the problem

http://voterfraudfacts.com/

You are crying over 13 verified cases since 2000...

[CorporatistNation]

27. There Have Been 6 Documented Caases of VOTER Fraud in The Past 50 Years!

Red Herring of the first order! It's ELECTION FRAUD STUPID IS THE MEME THAT MUST BE PURSUED! THIS is an example of voter suppression... Watch and see as this coming debacle unfolds... I imagine Hillary is doing the mail in route... Bernie better be working the same!

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. We are up to 13 out of millions

and many of them have been Republicans

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

35. How, exactly, does one even cast a "fraudulent vote"?

Where I live you don't need ID. If you are already registered you just show up and sign in on the roster that has your name on it. If somebody wanted to sign in as me they'd have to show up before I did, because otherwise I'd have already shown up, signed in and voted, and the imposter wouldn't be allowed to vote as me. If they came before I did and signed in as me, then I showed up later and produced an ID proving my identity, I'd be able to vote provisionally. If the imposter wanted to vote under my name in a different precinct, they wouldn't appear on the roster of registered voters (which could happen if a person recently moved), and they'd have to produce proof that they lived in that precinct, as with a utility bill (which would have to have my name at an address in that precinct). If "Mickey Mouse" registered, so what? Mickey Mouse isn't going to show up to try to vote.

Notwithstanding that this state does not require ID to vote, in Minnesota, there have been only 10 total cases of reported fraud and no cases of voter impersonation reported in the last fifteen years. https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2012/08/cases-voter-id-election-fraud-found-virtually-non-existent Where fraudulent voting does occur it tends to involve absentee voting not involving ID issues.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. What fraud? The 0.000000001 percent

and that is the best case scenario here. This is a search for a non existent problem meant to suppress the vote.

You want IDs? Sure, follow Mexico's example. They are truly free, people can get them almost anywhere every 10 years (The census matches renewals), and otherwise they can get them at wide spread modules and offices. And I mean the free part.

Since I have (purely accidental, Mexico changed the law a month before I became a US citizen) Mexican citizenship as well, I could get it at the consulate far easier than actually getting a drivers licence, chew on that.

[Half-Century Man]

48. Wisconsin defunded the DMV

Closed offices across the state, retracted the hours of operation on many more.

[shraby]

58. My polling location is 3 blocks from my house. The DMV location is 10 miles away. Big difference

if one has no transportation.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

14. up until 2 years ago, i didn't have any of those.

But i could still vote, cause i live in Oregon and we don't quietly put up with taking away peoples rights.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. Do you realize that I would have an easier time getting a card to vote in Mexican elections

(If I ever renew that passport) than in the US?

These laws are designed to suppress the vote, and they work very well as designed. It should concern you, because they will have a maximum effect in November, but yup this is the fault of the voters

[Kang Colby]

18. Yeah...it looks like the Mexican government has a good handle on things...

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. When it comes to the issuing of a voter ID, they do

thank you very much.

You are espousing a few republican talking points The voter fraud shtick is very popular with the right in the United States, Congrats

[Kang Colby]

23. Sure Mexico does. The cartels are the epitome of healthy democracy.

Republican talking points? Well, a broken clock is right twice per day.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. What does the Instituto Federal Electoral

have to do with the cartels and democracy? By the way, the American elections are as compromised as the Mexican elections were in my youth. Mexican elections have their issues, but the IFE issued cards have solved many of the problems.

You know where else they lead us? CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY.

By the way IFE changed to INE

http://www2.ine.mx/archivos3/portal/historico/contenido/Electoral_Registry/

[Kang Colby]

30. That's just your opinion. Unrelated to the discussion at hand. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. And that of the UN among others

So 13 verified cases of fraud since 2000 and 649 MILLION cast votes since 2000. You know why you are sounding ridiculous in search of a non existent problem?

You are sounding like a right winger. Why do you hate seniors, low income folks and POC so much? I am not asking by the way. You are the one using talking points from the Bill O'Reilly show.

[Kang Colby]

34. I'm not a right winger, my opinion is based on facts and logic.

POC and low income folks are overwhelmingly supporting HRC who I also support. Bernie on the other hand attracts the brogressives...who shouldn't have a problem providing ID. I can imagine a car full of brogressives, driving around from precinct to precinct fraudulently casting votes for their neighbors, friends, family, acquaintances, etc. All day long driving around in mom's Subaru, before visiting GameStop to spend their allowance on some new video games.

If we don't require ID, how can we know for sure the number of cases of voter fraud? We can't.

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. Alas I just gave you the facts

them are facts, you are pretending to look for a non existent problem, and you are going to supress the vote.... CONGRATS BUDY and when you use a RIGHT WING made problem, don't be too shocked to get pushback.

13 verified cases since 2000, those are the facts.

[Kang Colby]

40. ***verified cases***

You can't verify what you don't know.

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. It does not exist as a problem

understand? It is designed to suppress the vote. You are playing along with that.

[Kang Colby]

42. No. You seem to think your candidate would have been the beneficiary of fraudulent votes...

and you are upset that WI won't allow that.

[nadinbrzezinski]

43. My candidate is none of your busisness

but you are A-OK with voter suppression... that is the bottom line and you are the one using a RIGHT WING "common sense" meme that has actually a tad more to it, than this one.




(Shh, don't tell anybody, but that is the AZ sector of the US -Mexico border)

[Kang Colby]

45. Thanks nadinbrzeinski...you are truly an expert's expert. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

47. Show me the fraud

including convictions, or not... I suspect I will be waiting until hell freezes over. You are the one in favor of voter suppression, not me. I take this shit far more seriously than a sports game.

[Kang Colby]

51. There is usually little evidence of fraud, in part because we don't require ID.

You are celebrating the results of the problem.

[nadinbrzezinski]

53. And you are celebrating the poll tax

and the imaginary problem.

And if you knew anything outside your bubble you would realize why your solution will suppress the votes of the PoC and poor people who support YOUR CANDIDATE. Myself, enjoying the pretzel logic at play here. So why do you hate the elderly, students ( I sort of get that one), POC and the poor, that are targeted by this shit?

oh and ahem proof

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/03/how-voter-id-laws-are-being-used-to-disenfranchise-minorities-and-the-poor/254572/

http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/07/voter-suppression-returns

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2014/11/texass-voter-id-law

I could go on...

[Ghost Dog]

46. Well now, "brogressives". That's a new insulting term to me,

Did you coin it yourself, or is there a source?

[Kang Colby]

49. I thought I invented it...

But, it's been in use for over 5 years as per a google search.

[Ghost Dog]

52. Well, kudos for creativity, nevertheless...

And for that reason, in a humourous spirit, no alert.

[nadinbrzezinski]

50. And I misread that as "progressives." The brain does weird shit

What is ironic is that the people who he wants to save from themselves, the poor and POC, are the ones usually prevented from exercising the franchise by this stupidity.

[BillZBubb]

57. Thanks for the laugh Kang!

The fact is in person voter fraud is about as rare as unicorns. So, by any logic creating any sort of inconvenience AT ALL, is a waste of time, money and effort.

But, you throw out the right wing propaganda with the best of them. You can run, but you cannot hide.

[Trenzalore]

11. These laws are tailored to suppress as many democratic votes as possible

The PA speaker of the House openly bragged about how he hoped it would tip the scales for Romney in 2012.

Luckily our state supreme court struck this nonsense down.

[Kang Colby]

12. SCOTUS decided not to hear the WI case. N/t

[grasswire]

26. what is a free ID card?

Are you talking about a voter ID? Or a state ID?

In my state, an ID costs $45.

[Kang Colby]

28. WI has a free voter ID program. n/t

[Trenzalore]

29. To make these laws pass Federal tests

They need to issue a free statewide ID otherwise it would be considered a poll tax.

The issue is these are only issued at state centers that generally you need a car to get to. That is why the PA Supreme Court struck down the law.

[blueintelligentsia]

7. The campaign needs to address this passionately...

....with Scott Walker in power, I think there's a strong activist network in place that will help to make sure not too much fishiness occurs....hopefully.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. this is vote suppression

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Working as designed

[riversedge]

36. Yes, lots of Red state Governors--like Scott Walker have engaged in Voter

Suppression.

[Eric J in MN]

21. K & R (NT)

NT

[bvar22]

37. And defended by some members on DU.

beyond disgusting.

[RufusTFirefly]

44. Yea, voter suppression! It benefits these two groups

[mythology]

56. Clinton is getting substantial support from minorities

They are also targeted by these laws. It also hits young voters (particularly college age voters) so it impacts Sanders.

There is a reason that these laws are being pushed by Republicans and Republicans only.

[SaschaHM]

60. Lies!

Voter suppression only affects young, white, independent progressives. This is totally not an longstanding attempt by Republicans to suppress the vote of minorities as well, a voting block that typical goes blue. The gerrymandering of the House was also conceived by the DNC and the Clinton campaign so that they wouldn't have to try to deliver things to progressives as well.

[Recursion]

61. Huh? This hurts Clinton going in; Sanders stands to benefit (nt)

[jwirr]

62. Fortunately we know what an ass Walker is and we know

about his voter suppression tactics. And Bernie voters are smart enough to take precautions.