New GAB Electronic Voter Registration rules okay with one conservative.

Tom Kamenick, who’s with the Associate Counsel, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a group supporting the new voter ID law, has come out against those Republicans and conservative voters who are objecting to the new electronic proof of ID rules. Cell phones can now be used to show online bills.

The Government Accountability Board adopted an interpretation of law permitting people registering to vote to present electronic versions of utility bills and bank statement as proof of residency.

If that sounds reasonable, than why does this guy like it? Check it out:

Menomonee falls Patch: Republicans have, predictably, started blasting the GAB. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quotes Representative Robin Vos as saying, "Once again the GAB is showing that they do not share the public's concern that voter integrity is maintained throughout the process."  Jay Weber this morning was blasting it as unnecessary and catering to the "lazy asses."  Charlie Sykes teased the topic before his show in a manner that suggested he would be critical (although he has not mentioned it yet as I'm writing this).

This reaction is an overreaction.  While I'm certainly no fan of the GAB*, and support photo identification for voting**, this new ruling creates virtually no increased opportunity for fraud. Consider the following: The ruling does not permit any new types of documents — only electronic versions of the exact same documents that were permissible previously. 

Many people (myself included) no longer get physical bills or statements in the mail.  We've gone paperless, for many reasons: resource conservation; faster notification; easier filing and storage for future use, etc.