Here & Now

League Of Women Voters Says Bill Limits Voter Registration

ZAC SCHULTZ:

OPPONENTS OF THE BILL INCLUDE DEMOCRATS AND A NUMBER OF NONPARTISAN GROUPS. JOINING US NOW IS ANDREA KAMINSKI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF WISCONSIN. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

ANDREA KAMINSKI:

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

YOUR MAIN OBJECTION DEALS WITH THE ELIMINATION OF THE SPECIAL REGISTRATION DEPUTIES, BUT REPUBLICANS SAY VOLUNTEERS CAN JUST USE A TABLET OR A CELL PHONE OUT IN THE FIELD AND DO THE SAME THING.

ANDREA KAMINSKI:

WELL AND THAT SOUNDS GREAT. IN FACT THE LEAGUE HEARTILY SUPPORTS ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION. IT’S ONE OF THE PLANKS OF OUR NATIONAL PLATFORM FOR IMPROVING ELECTIONS. HOWEVER, WE THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL OPTION FOR VOTERS. IT SHOULD BE INCLUSIVE. AND THE WAY THIS BILL IS WRITTEN, THE ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION IS EXCLUSIVE. IT’S NOT AVAILABLE FOR ANYBODY WHO IS NOT ALREADY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES DATABASE AND IN THAT SENSE IT WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO REGISTER MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE DO CURRENTLY REGISTER.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE USUALLY REGISTERED DURING A VOTING DRIVE, WHICH IS USUALLY WHEN YOU SEE THE SPECIAL REGISTRATION DEPUTIES OUT AT MALLS OR PARKING LOTS OUTSIDE GROCERY STORES OR HIGH-TRAFFIC AREAS?

ANDREA KAMINSKI:

OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE ACTUALLY OUT IN PLACES LIKE THAT, FARMERS MARKETS, SENIOR CENTERS ALL AROUND THE STATE AND THEY DO IT YEAR-ROUND, ELECTION YEAR AND OFF TIME. AND IT DEPENDS ON THE CITY. WE HAVE FOLKS IN 18 COMMUNITIES AROUND THE STATE. SOMETIMES THEY REGISTER A COUPLE HUNDRED PEOPLE IN ONE VOTER DRIVE. OTHER TIMES THEY’LL JUST REGISTER A FEW AND THEY’LL ALSO DISTRIBUTE INFORMATION ABOUT VOTER ID AND THINGS LIKE THAT SO VOTERS ARE PREPARED.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

SO WITHOUT AN ID NOW, HOW DO THOSE PEOPLE GET REGISTERED DURING A VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE IF THEY FIND THEM IN A PARKING LOT OR A MALL?

ANDREA KAMINSKI:

WELL, IF THEY DON’T HAVE AN ID, IF THEY DON’T HAVE A WISCONSIN DRIVER’S LICENSE OR STATE ID NUMBER, THEY CAN STILL REGISTER TO VOTE USING THE LAST FOUR DIGITS OF THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. AND THERE ARE EVEN PROVISIONS IF THEY DON’T HAVE THAT. SO WE’RE ABLE TO REGISTER PEOPLE ANYWAY. THEN THEY HAVE TO SHOW US SOME KIND OF PROOF OF RESIDENCE, AND OUR REGISTRARS ARE ABLE TO RECORD WHAT TYPE OF PROOF OF RESIDENCE, WHAT KIND OF DOCUMENT IT IS AND SOME KIND OF IDENTIFYING NUMBER. IF THIS BILL GOES THROUGH, OUR REGISTRARS CAN TAKE AN iPAD OR SOME KIND OF TABLET AND THEY CAN HELP PEOPLE REGISTER, BUT THEY WILL STILL HAVE TO HAVE THEN A PHOTOCOPY OF SOME KIND OF DOCUMENTARY PROOF OF RESIDENCE THAT THEY HAVE TO MAIL IN. NO OTHER STATE THAT HAS PASSED ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION HAS USED IT TO ACTUALLY RESTRICT OTHER METHODS OF VOTER REGISTRATION.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

DO YOU THINK THIS IS GOING TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE TO GET REGISTERED?

ANDREA KAMINSKI:

THAT IS OUR FEAR.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

AND DEMOCRATS SAY THAT IT’S GOING TO BE PRIMARILY THEIR VOTERS, YOUNG, ELDERLY, AFRICAN-AMERICANS, OTHER MINORITIES.

ANDREA KAMINSKI:

WELL, THERE’S GOOD EVIDENCE THAT CAME OUT IN THE VOTER ID LITIGATION. THERE’S GOOD EVIDENCE THAT THERE ARE SOME 300,000 CURRENTLY REGISTERED WISCONSIN VOTERS. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE PROPERLY REGISTERED, THEY’VE SHOWN AN INTEREST IN VOTING, BUT PROBABLY DON’T HAVE A WISCONSIN ID OR A DRIVER’S LICENSE. THEREFORE, THEY ARE NOT IN THAT DMV SYSTEM. SO THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM OF HOW MANY PEOPLE DON’T HAVE — AREN’T ALREADY IN THE DMV SYSTEM. AND IT ALSO CAME OUT THAT THE PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE THAT KIND OF ID, STATE ID, ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR LATINO, THEY’RE MORE LIKELY TO BE OLDER, THEY DON’T HAVE A DRIVER’S LICENSE ANYMORE. THEY’RE MORE LIKELY TO BE DISABLED OR LOW-INCOME THAN THE GENERAL PUBLIC. SO IT DOES TARGET A CERTAIN GROUPS OF THE POPULATION.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE A FEDERAL LAWSUIT? WE’VE HEARD ABOUT THEM IN OTHER STATES.

DO YOU THINK THIS LAW WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THIS FALL?

ANDREA KAMINSKI:

BOY, I DON’T KNOW. THE WAY THE BILL IS WRITTEN, THE SPECIAL REGISTRATION DRIVES WON’T BE ELIMINATED UNTIL THE ONLINE REGISTRATION’S IN PLACE, BUT I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED IF THEY’VE ALREADY GOT THAT ALMOST READY TO GO. I DON’T KNOW IF IT WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, BUT I THINK THAT’S PROBABLY THE GOAL. THAT’S MY GUESS. AS FOR WHETHER, YOU KNOW, THERE COULD BE A COURT CASE DOWN THE ROAD, WE HAVE NOT HAD TIME TO DISCUSS THAT. BUT WE HAVE SIGNED ON TO A LETTER THAT TALKS ABOUT THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF FLORIDA CASE, WHERE THE STATE MADE REGISTRATION SO ONEROUS, REGISTRATION DRIVES SO ONEROUS THAT THAT LEAGUE SUED BASED ON THE FIRST AMENDMENT, BASED ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND ALSO RIGHT TO ASSOCIATE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

ALL RIGHT. IT’S SOMETHING WE’LL DEFINITELY BE FOLLOWING AS WE KEEP GOING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

ANDREA KAMINSKI:

THANK YOU.