Thursday, October 13, 2016

Judicial reprimand is nice, but we need WI voter ID banned

[Updated from 10/12] It's nice that the federal judge overseeing the case against the punitive Wisconsin voter ID law not needed unless because in the one known time someone voted multiple times ...for Scott Walker got caught by the system in place) has reprimanded the state for failing to follow his judicial orders - - and his slam at the state in the record could pay dividends down the road.

But the judge for sure or the next one up the chain needs to ban voter ID in Wisconsin for the November election - - and beyond - - to send Scott Walker and AG Brad Schimel, et al, a clear message that foot-dragging and baby steps towards court-ordered compliance doesn't cut it and cannot be rewarded and validated.

Especially on something as vital as the right to vote.


Update - - The mistake the judge is making despite "targeted" patches is that the state does not want to publicize and implement fair ID procedures


The opposite is true, so let's not enable this anti-democratic crowd that has been working hard on voter suppression for years.

Further updated - - The forces of voter suppression, determined to put Wisconsin's electoral votes into the Donald Trump toxic stew, are winning in the partisan election commission they created to tilt elections to the right in Wisconsin, and it appears that the Federal judge in the voter ID case is unlikely to toss voter ID so close to the November election, thus giving a pass to election-fixers in the state pledged to Scott Walker and his imperious rule.

As with Walker's recent 'win' at the US Supreme Court when his dark money apparatus skated past review, he and his team seem to have nine lives though they are living right at the edge of the ethical and legal line, and sometimes crossing it, but remain in power.

One Wisconsin Institute has been carrying the banner on this, so a shoutout to those folks (and, full disclosure, I have served on the Institute board but played no role in the litigation and am no longer on the board.)


These Tweets from the One Wisconsin feed today speak volumes:


  1. judge says IDPP complicated for even he to understand "and I sat through the nine damn days of testimony."
  2. reminder: state troopers under Dept of Transportation, as are DMVs. can hire and fire anyone now. No conflict here.
  3. 67% of voters who petitioned for free ID were black or hispanic. 0% of DOT's state troopers who went "undercover" to DOT's DMVs were.
  4. Court ordered changes to voter ID process on 7/29. Head of DMV said on stand DMV was passing out docs w/ wrong info for 2 months after that.
  5. DMV administrator admits documents given to free ID applicants were informationally wrong.
  6. DMV administrator says DMV put out a press release.
  7. Judge calls $250K for statewide public info campaign for dramatic change under "paltry." Notes $2 million for NC.
  8. . says she released DMV audio to the press to make the Voter ID process a "lived experience"





1 comment:

  1. You know, if the repugs keep destroying our democracy, blatantly violating the State's and U.S. Constitutions; we have no choice but to grab these chickenhawks by their p---ies and hold them accountable.

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