WI voter caging targets 95% student ward

[cal04]

by One Wisconsin Now
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/23/904685/-WI-voter-caging-targets-95-student-ward

Despite firm denials by Tim Dake, leader of Wisconsin's Tea Party organizations, the voter caging plot between the Tea Party, Americans for Prosperity and the Republican Party of Wisconsin exposed this week by One Wisconsin Now, is directly targeting university students - most notably voters at UW-Milwaukee Sandburg Hall, which made up 95 percent of the ward's 2008 vote total.

Earlier this week, the GrandSons of Liberty website, run by Dake, posted a "revised draft plan" in response to One Wisconsin Now's release of audio recordings, transcripts and strategy documents it obtained which detail a possibly-illegal voter caging plan. The document, whose properties indicate it was created last night at 9:56 p.m., says "AFP has mailed first 500 to Milwaukee districts 39, 60 and 62. Additional mailing as funding is obtained."

Ward 39 is the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2008, 1,891 of the 1,966 votes cast in that ward came from 3400 Maryland Avenue, the Sandburg Residence Hall, which houses 2,700 students.

Here's a map of ward 39:

In addition, wards 60 and 62 cited in the apparent voter caging plan both cover the Marquette University campus.



Just Monday, Dake denied targeting colleges students, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'We're not going to do anything that's illegal,' said Dake, who also denied any focus on college students or minorities."

Monday, One Wisconsin Now exposed a coordinated plot by the Republican Party of Wisconsin, Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin and organizations in the so-called Tea Party movement targeting minority voters and college students in a possibly illegal "voter caging" effort for voter suppression. One Wisconsin Now has filed a formal request for investigation with U.S Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen's Election Integrity Task Force and the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.

[Gman]

1. If someone doesn't get a restraining order

they're giving it away.

[karnac]

2. What specific actions would be legally restrained?

You can ALWAYS mail somebody. if it's returned as undeliverable, you can use that as a STARTING basis to challenge their eligibility to vote. It just can't be the ONLY basis upon to make the challenge stick and succeed. No penalty for trying though.

Hilariously, it reminds me of the old movie "Miracle on 34th Street" where if mail is delivered to a certain spot by the FEDERAL GOVT(post office), that PROVES to a court that person IS Santa Claus!(only in the movies) I suppose mail is refused the converse is true also. Let's hope that santa claus mail is always delivered no matter how it is addressed!! Don't worry about the ramifications about ID theft if this is proved wrong by the courts. That is what prevents most credit card fraud from occurring over the mails(delivering CC bought merchandise to just the cc owner's house).

The sticky issue is the billboard ads declaring that it is a crime to do voter fraud. is it a crime to state the truth? is it 1984? Of course if they state that it is a felony when it is only a misdemeanor that is a point that must be challenged and MUST succeed.

Or would you prefer putting up a billboard ad stating illegal voting is actually legal? Would that be legal?

Intent is a sticky business.

sometimes the truth(or rather the right to state the truth) hurts.

Would you like the other way?

[Gman]

3. Specifically stop the challenging of the ones that do not answer the letter or otherwise

acknowledge it was received on election day or whenever. There has to be some kind of argument that can be made about that type of en mass mailing. There are many and various reasons students in a dorm, of all people wouldn't even pick up a letter. The way I understand it is they use the returned letter as evidence to challenge the ballot and have the person vote a provisional ballot. All they want is to have a provisional ballot.

[Historic NY]

4. WTF are Democrats doing there sitting on their asses........