Friday, August 12, 2005
Contact: Ethnie Groves, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2156
Governor Doyle Signs AB 61, Ensuring Adequate Polling Workforce for Statewide Elections...Vetoes SB 42 (Voter ID)
Governor Doyle today signed Assembly Bill 61, aimed at addressing poll worker shortages, one of the administrative problems experienced in the 2004 election.
AB 61 helps to facilitate the sharing of poll workers in areas that have difficulty meeting the needs of registered voters. The bill removes 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.
AB 61 is one part of Governor Doyle’s comprehensive package of election reforms he announced five months ago. This package draws on the best ideas of Republicans and Democrats – providing common
sense solutions on everything from mandatory poll worker training to preventing ineligible felons from voting to reducing lines at the polls.
The Governor’s election reform package has been introduced in both houses of the Legislature, however,
the Republican leadership has never scheduled it for a vote.
<snip>
Governor Doyle also today vetoed Senate Bill 42 – citing the same concerns as when he vetoed Assembly Bill 63 – that the bill would do nothing to correct the management and process problems that have been
identified in our elections, while making it more difficult to vote for 177,000 Wisconsin seniors who do not have driver’s licenses or state issued photo identification.
“Senate Bill 42 unfairly restricts the right to vote at the expense of far too many of Wisconsin’s law-abiding, elderly citizens,” Governor Doyle said. “Under this proposal – nearly one-quarter of Wisconsin’s elderly population could be disenfranchised. I cannot allow that to happen.”
<snip>
http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/Aug05/Aug12/0812reynoldsphotoid.pdfPuke Tom Reynolds proposes a constitutional amendment on Voter ID<snip>
In response to this disturbing trend, State Senator Tom Reynolds (R‐West Allis) is seeking support for a constitutional amendment to ensure that a Governor no longer stands in the way of important
legislation. Senator Reynolds’ amendment would give the people of Wisconsin the final word on whether a bill becomes law.
Specifically, the Veto Override Referendum Amendment gives the Legislature the authority to put a vetoed bill up for a statewide vote to override the Governor’s veto. If passed by a majority of voters,
the vetoed bill would become state law. “This constitutional amendment gives the people of Wisconsin a direct say in whether a bill becomes law rather than allowing the Governor to obstruct
important legislation.” The amendment is being introduced today for co‐sponsorship.
###
And of course Green has to get into the pit.
http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/Aug05/Aug12/0812greenvoterveto.pdfIt Must be Friday Afternoon: Doyle Again Vetoes Election ReformIn response to Governor Jim Doyle’s veto of legislation requiring voters to present photo identification prior to receiving a ballot, Congressman Mark Green issued the following statement Friday:
“Jim Doyle is single-handedly standing in the way of the most significant step we can take to fix Wisconsin’s broken election system. Unfortunately, he’s made it very clear the only way Wisconsin will ever achieve significant election reform is to remove him from
office.
“Democracy is rooted in the principle that each of us deserves to have our vote count equally – but only once. Voting is a sacred right. But when the system is flawed and open to mischief, the result is continued voter apathy and a mistrust of government and elected officials.
“We need a complete overhaul of our election process and it starts with a simple, common-sense measure that would require voters to show photo identification. Jim Doyle’s opposition to this measure puts him horribly out of step with the rest of the state.
“If I am elected governor, the very first bill I sign will be one that restores faith to our electoral system…and 2006 will be the last time you don’t have to show an ID to vote.”
###
We need to get on this, people. We need to get Dems elected to keep this crap from becoming law.