Now the City of Milwaukee's election commission has put together data (below) showing how mandating in-person absentee voting to a single site will further disadvantage and jam the voters in a big city like Milwaukee - - but less so in smaller (read: often Republican) communities:
· Since the 2000 General Election, in-person absentee voting percentages have increased 700% in the City of Milwaukee. Municipalities across the state and the nation are experiencing comparable interest by voters in “voting early.”
· By comparing voting statistics from municipalities across the state, it is evident that Milwaukee and Madison have the lowest percentages of in-person absentee voters. These percentages demonstrate how the existing limitation of one site per municipality has effected in-person absentee voting for large municipalities. As a result of this restriction, Milwaukee and Madison have not had the same ability to maximize in-person absentee voting as a mechanism for increasing access to voting and alleviating overcrowding at voting sites at comparable rates to other municipalities. If parity and uniformity are really the goals, Milwaukee should have multiple sites.
· The limitation of one site per municipality, regardless of size, and the recent further restriction and limitation to the hours of operations places a cap on the capacity of large municipalities like Milwaukee and Madison, to respond to the increased public interest in voting early and the unique needs of residents in urban areas.
· As a result of the newly passed restriction to hours, the % of in-person absentee voters in large municipalities like Milwaukee and Madison will decrease, while the percentages of other smaller municipalities, not effected by the cap on capacity, will continue to increase.
· The highest percentage of in-person absentee voters in Milwaukee reside in Aldermanic Districts 6 and 7, two geographic areas of the city largely populated by the people in the lowest socio-economic classes. The continued restrictions to in-person voting will have the greatest impact on these populations.
HINDI
|
County
|
Municipality
|
Registrants
|
Total Ballots
|
In-Person
|
Turnout %
|
% In-Person
|
JACKSON COUNTY
|
TOWN OF HIXTON
|
358
|
328
|
2
|
91.62%
|
0.61%
| |
DANE COUNTY
|
CITY OF MADISON
|
182859
|
150464
|
18740
|
82.28%
|
12.45%
| |
MILWAUKEE COUNTY
|
CITY OF MILWAUKEE
|
328202
|
289232
|
36349
|
88.13%
|
12.57%
| |
WAUKESHA COUNTY
|
VILLAGE OF CHENEQUA
|
427
|
383
|
74
|
89.70%
|
19.32%
| |
KENOSHA COUNTY
|
CITY OF KENOSHA
|
52745
|
45318
|
10046
|
85.92%
|
22.17%
| |
WAUKESHA COUNTY
|
CITY OF NEW BERLIN
|
28723
|
26046
|
6588
|
90.68%
|
25.29%
| |
WAUKESHA COUNTY
|
TOWN OF OCONOMOWOC
|
6209
|
5664
|
1462
|
91.22%
|
25.81%
| |
OZAUKEE COUNTY
|
CITY OF PORT WASHINGTON
|
7533
|
6710
|
1745
|
89.07%
|
26.01%
| |
WAUKESHA COUNTY
|
CITY OF DELAFIELD
|
4975
|
4396
|
1159
|
88.36%
|
26.36%
| |
WINNEBAGO COUNTY
|
TOWN OF MENASHA
|
10633
|
9602
|
2706
|
90.30%
|
28.18%
| |
MILWAUKEE COUNTY
|
VILLAGE OF WHITEFISH BAY
|
8115
|
7811
|
2695
|
96.25%
|
34.50%
|
When only one site per municipality is permitted for early voting, and the number of days and hours are also drastically reduced - as has occurred in this recently enacted outrageous one-size-fits-all state law, which, for absolutely no good reason, imposes an arbitrary statewide restriction on all municipalities - the difference between (for example) the City of Milwaukee (with a population of over half a million people, and only one early voting site) and the County of Ozaukee (with a total population of less than 100,000 people and more than a dozen early voting locations liberally distributed over a total land area which is about the same size as the City of Milwaukee), in regards to the glaring inequity in early voting opportunity impacting Milwaukee, which has been arrogantly imposed on local municipalities by the current majority party controlling the state legislature, is a blatant denial and violation of both the privileges and immunities of citizens clause and the equal protection of persons under the law clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. To say nothing of violating basic fair play and principles of decency and democracy. It likely violates the Wisconsin Constitution, too. Check it out.
ReplyDeleteRead "An Election Tale of Two Cities"
http://clydewinter.wordpress.com/2006/08/06/an-election-tale-of-two-cities/
For a nice solution, try:
http://clydewinter.wordpress.com/2014/03/11/lottery-selection-of-public-officials/
Milwaukee should open various locations throughout City Hall, like one or several located at every entrance to each building and one on every floor in the atrium, and let anyone try to stop them from early voting.
ReplyDeleteThis law is a travesty to the throngs of people who would ordinarily be able to vote. Democracy is about encouraging more people to vote, not creating barriers to prevent people from voting. I do not see how this could pass Constitutional muster, either Statewise or Federally.
ReplyDeleteThis begs for a lawsuit to prevent this from taking place in November.
This law obviously targets who can vote, laying down undue burdens and is thus unconstitutional under the Wisconsin Constitution. And when the legion of unconstitutional laws get challenged in court and temporarily enjoined during trial, we know the GOP will make mischief with https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2013/related/amendments/ab161/ssa1_ab161 - Grothman's vague legislation reading in part, "https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2013/related/amendments/ab161/ssa1_ab161 :"813.025 (3) If a circuit court or a court of appeals enters an injunction, a
ReplyDelete9restraining order, or any other final or interlocutory order suspending or restraining
10the enforcement of any statute of this state, the injunction, restraining order, or other
11final or interlocutory order is immediately appealable as a matter of right," passed by the legislature and I'm guessing soon to be signed into law by Walker.