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

[L. Coyote]

Source: thinkprogress.org = By Ian Millhiser on Jul 25, 2011 at 9:50 am

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. .....

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

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ABUSE OF POWER!

[L. Coyote]

1. "more UFO sightings (40) in Wisconsin in 2008 than reports of improper voting (14) "

Walker Makes It Harder to Obtain Voter ID, Shuts DMV Offices in Dem. Areas
by Mike Hall, Jul 26, 2011
http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/07/26/walker-makes-it-harder-to-obtain-voter-id-shuts-dmv-offices-in-dem-areas/


In May, Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed a Voter ID bill that could disenfranchise tens of thousands of students, seniors, poor and minority Wisconsin voters who don’t have drivers’ licenses or state-issued photo IDs.

Now it appears as if the Walker administration is going a step further to keep voters who aren’t likely to be Walker supporters (see list below) away from the polls. He’s closing 10 Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) offices where residents can obtain the photo IDs they will need before they are allowed to vote. Supposedly, the move is to free up DMV employees to staff offices that will have expanded hours to provide ID services.

But state Rep. Andy Jorgensen (D) says it appears the decisions were based on politics, with the department targeting offices for closure in Democratic areas and expanding hours for those in Republican districts. In an interview with The Associated Press, he asked:

What the heck is going on here? Is politics at play here?

He probably also doesn’t believe the claims by Walker and his Republican cohorts in the legislature that the new law is necessary to stop voter fraud.

And if so, Jorgensen is right. Voter fraud is virtually nonexistent in Wisconsin. As One Wisconsin Now reported, there were more UFO sightings (40) in Wisconsin in 2008 than reports of improper voting (14) out of the 3 million votes cast in the 2008 election.