WI: GOP, city reach deal on voter list

Republican and City of Milwaukee leaders reached an agreement Sunday ending a faceoff over thousands of registered voters with questionable addresses.

Under the agreement, a list of 5,512 prospective city voters whose addresses are questionable will be distributed to polling places.

Those on the list who show up to vote will be asked to fill out a change of address card or registration form, and to show proof of residency - a driver's license, utility bill or some other document showing an address - before casting their ballot.

Anyone without proof of residency at an address on the list will have to take an oath, and that person's ballot will be marked as being challenged by the poll worker.

The agreement ends a dispute between the Republican Party of Wisconsin and Milwaukee city officials, who last week denied the GOP's petition to throw out 5,619 names.

Republicans on Saturday came up with a new list of more than 37,000 questionable addresses, and they demanded that Milwaukee city officials require identification from that large number of voters before they would be allowed to cast ballots.

City Attorney Grant Langley had called that request "outrageous." He said a check of the original list of 5,619 registrations had found "hundreds and hundreds and hundreds" of legitimate addresses.

In the agreement, the city will use a list of only 5,512 names, not the list of 37,000.

Republican Party Chairman Rick Graber said the agreement will offer another layer of protection to assure that fraudulently cast votes won't be counted.

"With today's announcement, Milwaukee city officials are acknowledging a substantial problem exists with thousands of faulty or non-existent addresses currently found on the city's voter registration rolls and they are beginning to deal with it," Graber said in a statement. List alphabetical, by ward

Langley said city elections officials decided the list of 5,512 was something they could handle and distribute to poll workers. Prospective voters on the list will be identified by ward and in alphabetical order.

"No, we're not disappointed. I think it's workable," Langley said. "With this agreement, it really allows our poll workers to deal with this list. In all likelihood, there will be no need for outside challenges by individuals."

One day after Republicans filed the complaint over 5,619 registrations last week, the three-member city Election Commission unanimously denied it, saying the evidence wasn't strong enough.

So the Republicans again ran the list of addresses of more than 300,000 people registered to vote in the city using a software program also used by the U.S. Postal Service and determined that 5,512 were questionable. That meant, the GOP said, the addresses didn't exist or were parks, vacant lots or spots between two houses.

State Elections Board Executive Director Kevin Kennedy said even though the Milwaukee Election Commission denied the GOP's petition, city officials were intent on taking some action to lessen the perception that Milwaukee's voter rolls were rife with fraud.

"Our sense was we wanted to get away from any widespread perception of fraud," Kennedy said Sunday. "One way to do that was to set up a system that if the voters came to the polling place we'd have a way to check their address."

In many cases, Kennedy said, the addresses are questionable because of a data entry error - someone transposed numbers while keying them in to the computer system.

Even though Republicans backed off on the list of 37,000, Graber said the party reserves the right to challenge anything fishy on election day. More than 10,000 Republicans have volunteered to be observers at polling places in Wisconsin.

Langley said this is how the list of 5,512 will be used on election day: # If a voter on the list goes to a polling place and identifies his or her address as being one of those that the GOP list says doesn't exist, that person will have to fill out a change of address form or, in some circumstances, another voter registration form.

# The voter will have to show a proof of residency, such as a utility bill or lease.

# If the voter insists that he or she lives at the exact address the GOP says doesn't exist, the person can still vote, but the vote will be challenged by a poll worker. That means the voter will be given an oath by the poll worker and asked to say name and address.

Graber said in his statement that the city attorney, Milwaukee County district attorney, mayor and state Elections Board didn't argue the fact there are problems with the city's voter registration lists.

A John Kerry campaign spokesman in Wisconsin said Sunday that Democrats haven't had a chance to see the agreement.

"Our bottom line is that everyone who is qualified to vote in the State of Wisconsin should be able to do so without harassment," said spokesman George Twigg. "We have a team of voting rights attorneys in place to make sure that's what happens on election day."

# The voter will have to show a proof of residency, such as a utility bill or lease.

What a concept! How's about all around the country????

What makes them believe these folks will show up? It would seem to me that the idea is to cast ballots in the back room after the polls close.

I hope the Republicans don't let the ballots out of their sight for a second.

Wonder if any of these got an absentee ballot and have already voted? Or if there is early voting there and they've already gone? If so, then the list wouldn't apply and no oath could be taken.

I know here we have to identify ourselves at the polling place, I'm not sure if those casting an absentee ballot have to do the same.

In WI, the BC04 campaign staff and volunteers have been cross-checking absentee ballots w/phone books/DMV to ascertain residence & legal name. I know this has been going on since September.

Volunteers from other states have posted on FR that similar checks are being done around the country.

I voted absentee in 4 General Elections up to 2000. I had to have my ballot witnessed by someone who was not a family member and the sealed ballot had to be countersigned by the town clerk. I understand absentee ballots then go to the precinct where the person is on the rolls to check that they are registered and they are counted with the rest of the ballots on ED.

If a ballot is provisional, in WI, the voter has 24 hours to present themselves to the Election Commission w/ID.

Even so, IMO all we can do is mitigate the fraud, not do away with it. People keep pointing out that fraud has always been ubiquitous.

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