The right to vote in Wisconsin is granted to all law-abiding citizens of the state. We want to ensure that their voices are heard at election time.
When I was growing up in Wisconsin, election fraud was unheard of in this state. That has changed in recent years. The Government Accountability Board recently issued a statement that the status of 70,000 eligible voters could not be verified. Three ACORN employees were charged with falsifying voter registration forms and 569 Milwaukee voter addresses could not be verified after they registered at the polls. This is a small sampling of the pending discrepancies with election laws that have occurred in the state.
During the last session, Penny Bernard Schaber co-sponsored AB-895. This bill, according to Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, could create even more voter fraud. It would also encourage irresponsible absentee voting and voting from satellite locations. Who is going to monitor these satellite locations and at what additional cost to taxpayers? The bill had nothing in it that would protect the integrity of the election process.
I support requiring photo I. D. at the polls. There are many activities requiring some form of photo identification, such as flying on a commercial airline, or even buying certain types of glue or cold medicine. Voting is a serious matter and should also require photo identification.
