Why we need Voter ID in Wisconsin. WPC helps you understand what the left is not telling you and where the left is wrong. Important to go to the links to see the truth about Voter ID. If you want your vote to count in future elections, read and understand.
The WPC has issued this release as a response to objections that have been raised to this proposed voting reform over the past several days and in order to aid public understanding on this important matter.
For Immediate Release:
January 31, 2011
Contact:
Ross Brown, 608.770.3062
Kirsten Lombard, 608.237.7034
Norm Reynolds, 414.529.2428
The Wisconsin Patriot Coalition
(Madison) – Over the past week, One Wisconsin Now and other progressive organizations have
ceaselessly broadcast disapproval of efforts by Republicans at the State Capitol to bolster the integrity
of elections in this state. By contrast, the Wisconsin Patriot Coalition (WPC) wishes to express its
support for Senate Bill 6 (SB 6), a proposed measure that would prudently require photo ID to vote in
public elections. Currently under review by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections after
a public hearing on January 26th, the bill would provide an important first step in comprehensive voting
reform and reduce a substantial risk of identify theft currently posed by loose voting policy in Wisconsin.
Free, fair, honest elections are crucial to a properly functioning representative republic. However, a
variety of investigations and convictions in Wisconsin prove that voter fraud does occur in this state. A
report on the November 2004 election by the Milwaukee Special Investigations Unit makes plain, for
example, that in that election “reports of more ballots cast than voters recorded” were true. Finding
such offenders is often impossible, though the damage they do in undermining public confidence in
elections and, ultimately, government is substantial and lasting.
SB 6 would assist in verifying legitimate, registered voters at the polling place, thereby minimizing fraud
damage before it occurs. The WPC hopes that before being advanced to the Wisconsin State Senate
for a vote, the bill will be amended in such a manner as also to protect elections at the point of voter
registration.
With voter rolls publicly available, infrequent or sporadic voters remain at profound risk of having their
identities stolen during an election. In Wisconsin, where voter turnout generally remains well under 50
percent, even in high-profile, national races, the only way in which such a crime generally becomes
detectable is if the actual, registered voter shows up unexpectedly, at which point, fraudulent use of his
or her name by another is revealed. Other types of fraud are facilitated by high turnouts. While photo ID
would not eliminate the risk of all voter fraud, it would certainly make it more difficult to commit.
Voter ID is normal, prudent practice across the United States. Currently, 27 other states require some
form of ID to vote in public elections. Three additional states, including Wisconsin, are pending.
Opponents of SB 6, such as One Wisconsin Now and a number of prominent Democrats at the State
Capitol, have repeatedly raised the specter of voter disenfranchisement. In doing so, they have notably
defined disenfranchisement along lines of income and race. The WPC maintains that income and race
are false divides that should fool no one. The real boundary line must finally be drawn between
legitimate and illegitimate voters. Getting proper ID into the hands of any and all legitimate voters is far
easier to achieve than cleaning up a loss of public confidence that will inevitably result from failure to
exclude or preclude illegitimate votes.
In fact, WPC would remind critics of SB 6 that even one fraudulent vote disenfranchises two legitimate
voters. A simple example illustrates this point: Two legitimate voters each cast a ballot for Candidate A.
An illegitimate voter casts a single ballot for Candidate B. The single illegitimate vote not only cancels
out Candidate A’s advantage but also the express will of the two legitimate voters whose ballots had
provided it.
As a service to Wisconsin citizens, the WPC has created a list of potential concerns about SB 6, along
with logical responses to them. We have posted this list on the websites of several of our member sites,
including but not limited to:
The Wisconsin 9/12 Project
Sauk County Tea Party
We hope this resource will prove helpful to those attempting to understand the issue of voting reform
and the potential impact of the measures SB 6 would implement.
The WPC is comprised of local conservative grassroots groups based in communities across
Wisconsin. It exists specifically to develop and advance: legislation that adheres to unalienable rights
and individual freedoms as recognized by the founders of this nation; the framework for limited
government set forth within the United States Constitution; free-market solutions; and educational
initiatives that inform the public on such legislation, principles, and solutions.
