LRBf159/1
JTK:lmk:ch
2005 - 2006 LEGISLATURE
SENATE AMENDMENT 11,
TO SENATE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1,
TO 2005 SENATE BILL 42
May 12, 2005 - Offered by Senator
Taylor.
"governor doyle's election reform package:
Early Voting
To help ease Election Day pressures, the Governor called for Wisconsin to join the 23
other states that already allow for early voting. Municipalities will be allowed to
start counting ballots before Election Day; however, no election results would be
released until after the polls close.
The early voting period will mirror the timeline for absentee voting in Wisconsin, but
early voting will also be allowed to take place on weekends.
While early voting will be available at municipal clerks' offices, the Governor's early
voting proposal will also allow municipalities to establish satellite early voting
locations at places such as grocery stores, shopping malls, libraries, community
centers, and senior centers. Voters may also cast their ballot by mail.
Mandatory Training For All Poll Workers
Currently in Wisconsin, only chief elections inspectors are required to receive
training. The Governor's proposal will require that all poll workers receive a certain
level of training, to ensure consistent administration of elections across the state.
The State Elections Board will be responsible for administering and determining the
content of the course, offered in person, on-line, and by videotape.
Expanded Poll Worker Recruitment
The Governor will launch a variety of initiatives to ensure a larger polling workforce
to meet statewide needs. In particular, the Governor will encourage volunteerism
on Election Day, calling on private companies to allow employees who work as poll
workers to take Election Day off without losing pay.
Additionally, the Governor will be launching an extensive outreach campaign to
encourage high school students to volunteer at the polls. Wisconsin law already
allows qualified high school students to serve as election officials on Election Day
with parental and principal approval.
The Governor will also partner with municipalities and counties to facilitate the
sharing of municipal and state workers, particularly in areas that have difficulty
meeting the needs of register voters. Such intergovernmental cooperation will
include allowing local and state employees to assist a municipality with pre-Election
Day activities, including the processing of registration cards and staffing early
voting locations prior to Election Day.
The Governor also offered his support of the removal of residency restrictions on
municipal clerks and certain other election administrators to allow them to register
voters or fill in as poll workers in municipalities in which they are not residents.
Mandatory Training for Special Registration Deputies
Currently, any qualified elector of the state may apply to the State Elections Board
to be appointed as a special registration deputy to assist municipalities in the task
of registering voters. However, under current law, there is no prescribed training
that a special registration deputy must complete. The Governor called for
mandatory training of all special registration deputies to promote the more accurate
and complete collection of voter information.
30-Minute Maximum Waiting Time
The Governor proposed a requirement that municipalities develop Election Day
plans. The plans, approved by each municipality's common council, will be designed
to achieve the goal of no voter waiting longer than thirty minutes before voting and
will ensure proper oversight of election processes. Wisconsin would be the first state
in the county to enact such a law.
Election Day Plans will be required to include:
* Details on pre-election education on voting eligibility and procedures;
* Strategies to ensure adequate staffing for pre-election activities and on
Election Day;
* The assignment of at least one poll worker to monitor lines to make sure
that voters are standing in the right lines, and answer questions;
* Measures to ensure the orderly and efficient flow of voters at every polling
location;
* Contingency plans to deal with higher than expected voter turnout,
including the requirement of having a group of trained, on-call reserve poll
workers;
* Tight management controls to ensure accountable and orderly election
processes; and
* A specified post-election review process designed to cover compliance with
relevant election laws, determine whether the 30-minute standard was
met, and provide ideas on how to improve the administration of future
elections.
Additional Safeguards to Ensure Ineligible Felons are Not Allowed to Vote
The Governor proposed that the Statewide Voter Registration leave the name of an
ineligible felon on the list with a notation that the individual is not eligible to vote,
such as an asterisk or the date probation or parole, thereby prompting an election
worker to have the voter fill out a challenged ballot instead of sending the person to
the same-day registration line. By filling out a challenged ballot, the voter will still
be able to vote in case the notation was an administrative error and the voter is not,
in fact, an ineligible felon. The challenged ballot may be discounted later if the voter
is found to be definitively ineligible.
The Governor's proposal also requires same-day registrants to be cross-referenced
post-election against an updated Department of Corrections list to determine
whether any ineligible felons voted that were not on the Statewide Voter
Registration (due to being a first-time voter) or who were sentenced after the
Statewide Voter Registration information was distributed to polling places.
Additionally, a same-day registration voter will have to affirmatively check on his
or her registration form that the voter is not a felon currently on probation or parole,
before being allowed to vote. Under current law, voters are only required to certify
that they "are not disqualified on any ground from voting".
Allow Access to Voter Birth Date Information For Better Oversight
The Governor's proposal would again allow access to voter birth date information to
prevent fraud through an open records request, but prohibit the use or sale of such
information for commercial purposes or the display of such information on the
Internet. Individuals seeking such information will be required to sign an affidavit,
stating that the birth date information will not be used for any unauthorized
purposes. Access to this information will help determine whether someone voted
twice, a felon voted improperly, or someone voted as a dead person.
Prohibit Voter Drives From Paying Workers on a Per Voter or Quota Basis
Currently, many voter drives encourage voters to fill out registration forms and are
paid on a per-voter or quota basis, thereby providing a financial incentive to cheat
by forging signatures or registering the same voter multiply times. The Governor's
proposal will prohibit such practices, and thus would protect the quality of the
information being filled out. Workers could still be paid for their time spent
registering voters.
Uniform Registration Cards
Currently, registration forms often differ from municipality to municipality, given
that the statute only requires the forms to contain certain information. The
Governor has proposed a requirement that the State Elections Board create a
statewide registration card that must be used by all municipalities in order to ensure
the more orderly collection of registration information.
Allow People to Register to Vote at their DMV
To help ease the pre-election workload of municipal clerks, the Governor proposed
allowing people to register to vote when applying for or renewing a driver's license.
Uniform Poll Hours
The Governor offered his support for statewide, uniform poll hours. Wisconsin
currently allows different poll hours for different classes of municipalities. The
proposal would require all polling places to be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Require Maps to be Displayed at Every Polling Location
A common problem during elections is new voters standing in long lines to vote only
to learn upon reaching the front of the line that they were at the wrong polling
location. To reduce Election Day confusion, the Governor's proposal requires a map
to be posted at all polling places serving multiple wards that would direct voters to
their proper polling place.
Merging the State Elections and Ethics Boards
Governor Doyle also offered his support to transform the State Elections and Ethic
Board into one agency, more effectively administering and independently enforcing
state election and ethics laws.
Redistricting Reform
Despite the nearly even partisan divide in Wisconsin, only two incumbent legislators
facing reelection were defeated in the 2004 general election. Of 116 total legislative
races in 2004, 57 races had no major party opponent. Forty-nine legislative
incumbents faced no opponent whatsoever.
