Ag Schimel appeals to base bragging up scheme to suppress voting.

Scott Walker's simpleton lackey AG Brad Schimel just admitted voter ID was meant to suppress certain targeted voters from casting a ballot. Sometimes these guys forget that everyone can hear them. 

Based on decades of research, we already know our elections were "clean" and "honest," Schimel's slip of the tongue and concluding lie confirms what we already knew...he's a tool:

"We battled to get voter ID on the ballot for the November '16 election," Schimel told conservative host Vicki McKenna on WISN (1130 AM) on Thursday. "How many of your listeners really honestly are sure that Senator (Ron) Johnson was going to win re-election or President Trump was going to win Wisconsin if we didn’t have voter ID to keep Wisconsin’s elections clean and honest and have integrity?"

Funny thing, the "Soros" money used to challenge voter ID laws is simply being used to find out if they're constitutional. What is Schimel or any Republican afraid of? I guess if the money dried up to make these challenges, all would be well? 

He has fought in court to keep the law in place and his opponent, Josh Kaul, is the lead attorney challenging it and a host of other election laws. Kaul "works for George Soros going across the country suing states that have voter ID laws," Schimel said.

Comedian Mitch Henck: Dem Tantrum, too many Cappuccinos reason for Liberal Dane County study proving "9 people" were discouraged from voting!

Our authoritarian overlords don't like it when liberals, Democrats and progressives make them look bad. Like voter suppression.

Taking a line from Republican know-it-all's who bashed Jimmy Kimmel for criticizing their health care plan; what does a comedian like Mitch Henck know about voter suppression? What makes his media elitist opinion count?  

In a whiny opinion piece, Mitch pondered why the  two biggest Democratic counties in the state looked into voter suppression via the voter ID law, without the approval of our authoritarian overlords in the state legislature:

So why did The Dane County Board vote to spend $55,000 to study Wisconsin election law in Dane and Milwaukee counties? After all, the study wasn’t authorized by the state Department of Justice or state lawmakers or state election officials.

Hey Mitch, ya think state lawmakers and the Justice Dept. were wondering how their voter ID laws discouraged people from voting? Didn't think so:

The study, by UW-Madison political science professor Ken Mayer, was pushed by progressive Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell and approved by our progressive County Board. About 2,400 surveys were sent out and 293 people responded. From that, the professor figured that: 

1. Nearly 17,000 people in Milwaukee and Dane counties didn’t vote because of the state Voter ID law. 

2. Roughly two-thirds of the respondents said they didn’t vote because of the Voter ID law, even though they had legal IDs. 

“That’s the point,” Dane County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan said. “People are confused.” She added the old chestnut, “This is a solution in search of a problem.”

Mitch had a hard time understanding why anyone would even care if a few people lost their vote, and because HE didn't, why waste $55,000 on something the state would never even think to study themselves:

I asked her why Dane County taxpayers were paying for a study of a state law and how it was affecting Milwaukee County. “I wish the state would do a broader study,” Corrigan responded, “but we did what we could because compliance with this law is costing the state way too much.”

Of course this was all a waste of taxpayer money...studying something that strikes at the heart of our representative democracy. It's at this point Mitch suddenly cared more about abuse victims and road repairs, then people voting. So Mitch blamed this on just another liberal tantrum (projection much?):

That’s interesting. We are talking about taxes and fees of people living in Dane County. Board members didn’t spend the $55,000 on road repair or shelters for domestic abuse victims. They spent it on a study that gathered 293 responses and calculated from that that nearly 17,000 people didn’t vote in two counties because of a state law Dane County Board members and the clerk really hate.

Mitch then decided he needed a little backup, so he included knuckle head Matt Adamczyk's response, and propaganda think tank MacIver Institute's assessment that only 9 people were kept from voting. Yea, what's the big deal. Oh, may I remind them Scott Walker said if only one person lost their vote via fraud, that was one too many? Were talking nine...but that's different?

Wisconsin Treasurer Matt Adamczyk, who ran on getting rid of his office, went so far as to say Dane County should lose $55,000 in state revenue sharing because it wasted local taxpayers money on the election study.

The conservative MacIver Institute blasts the study for basing its results on too small of a sample. MacIver points out that only nine people of the 293 respondents were kept from voting by the ID law. But survey architect and UW professor Mayer says the respondent number is fine for an estimated 150,000 registered eligible non-voters in the two counties.

It's at this point Mitch ran out of wacky ideas, so it was time to drag out some good old right wing name calling and stereotypes:

The problem is that hard-core progressives on the County Board can’t change state law no matter how many cappuccinos they consume before their meetings. That job is still up to those darn state legislators, whether they are gerrymandered or not.

Lattes, cappuccino drinkers...they're all the same. After all, Mitch represents the Bud Light breakfast drinking real Americans. 

Of course Mitch much have been away on vacation or something when Democrats opposed all those voter suppression laws passed by Republicans, because the study really had more to do with...Hillary?

It’s safe to say that supervisors would not have spent our money on the study had Democrat Hillary Clinton won the White House.

Sorry Master Mitch, for spending taxpayer money on a silly tantrum proving Republicans successfully suppressed the vote:

I sympathize with legitimate voter grievances. But I roll my eyes at the Dane County Board when it spends our money like candy because progressive supervisors didn’t get the results they wanted and threw a tantrum.

For anyone who cares about reality and facts, here's what Ken Mayer had to say on WPT's Here and Now:



  

Supreme Court: Republicans guilty of Voter Suppression!!!

Let's connect the dots: Today the Supreme Court decided overwhelmingly that Republican gerrymandering/voter suppression laws in North Carolina were unconstitutional. It was so bad Justice Thomas agreed:

The Supreme Court let stand a decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruling that North Carolina’s sweeping voting restrictions targeted African-American voters “with almost surgical precision.”

It’s now overwhelmingly clear that Republicans in North Carolina illegally made it harder for African Americans to vote and diminished the power of their votes. Today’s decision could have far-reaching ramifications for striking down gerrymandering nationwide.

In a 5-3 opinion today, Justice Kagan (surprisingly joined by Justice Thomas) ruled that North Carolina artificially increased the number of black voters in the state’s 1st and 12th congressional districts.

Didn't get the News? Of course, that didn't stop Scott Walker's grossly unqualified AG lapdog Brad Schimel from ignoring the courts decision today as if it never happened, and made this mind numbing request on the same day:

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel filed a brief today asking the Supreme Court to stay an order to redraw Wisconsin's legislative district boundaries ... saying it's likely the court will preserve the current districts and redrawing them would waste resources.

Really? After the majority decision today? 

voters filed a federal lawsuit in 2015 arguing the Republican-drawn boundaries unconstitutionally discriminate against Democrats. A three-judge panel agreed.

Wisconsin Voter Suppression a Killer: The Brookings Institute posted a story with a graphic a few days ago, that will blow your mind.

Newly released Census Bureau data confirm that both minority and black voter turnout took a decided downturn in last November’s elections ... Minority and black turnout was not only lower in the national statistics but also in key swing states.

Check out a few of the changes in the other swing states...not good right?

Now let's check out Wisconsin's loss in black voter turnout. Anyone see a problem here?

In Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and especially Wisconsin, a 2012 black turnout advantage either reversed or was eliminated in 2016 due to declines in black turnout and, in most cases, a rise in the turnout of white Americans. In Michigan and Florida, the 2012 white turnout advantage increased. In Florida, Hispanic as well as black turnout declined markedly as white turnout rose.

This is beyond the Obama effect that didn't seem to produce this wild swing in the other states. What was that you were saying Brad Schimel?

Public Confidence in Wisconsin's Elections takes a Big Hit!!! Walker Cuts Commission Oversight.

A real head scratcher: Walker and his band of plundering Republican pirates are doing away with state voter recounts, paid for by candidates that want one, when elections aren't close enough. Never mind that it's a free test of our electoral system, which should restore public confidence. Seems like a win win for all of us. 

So now it looks like the Republican mantra to “restore public confidence and integrity in our elections” is just so much bullshit, again.

…staffing levels at the Wisconsin Elections Commission (may be cut) by 19 percent due to a loss of federal funds…

…the Elections Commission says the jobs are needed to ensure elections run smoothly in the state.

Republican tax cut zealotry has once again backed the state into a corner, with no ability to adjust to changing times. It's not like the state is debt free either.  

So are we restoring confidence in our elections or finally confirming GOP voter suppression? Kind of obvious isn’t it:

Gov. Scott Walker's recommendation to cut six positions at the agency that oversees elections in the state … The commission and local election clerks are urging the Legislature not to go along with Walker's proposed cut. The governor argues the commission can handle its workload without the positions.

Voter Suppression Worked, and Rural Wisconsin's "Hope & Change" guy Trump, will lift a finger to help...guess which one?

It's was interesting to hear the "2nd Amendment remedies" crowd of Trump supporters, who threatened a revolution if Trump didn't win, denounce Democratic protesters for not wanting to fall in line with their president elect narcissistic authoritarian alt-right leader:

Demonstrators in Madison and across the country took to the streets Thursday to express their outrage over Donald Trump’s unexpected presidential win, while Trump supporters took to social media and denounced demonstrators as hypocrites or worse for not accepting defeat in a democratic process. A crowd of hundreds of UW-Madison students at the top of Bascom Hill swelled to around 2,500 by the time it reached the steps of the state Capitol.

Republican mouthpieces have arrogantly declared "who cares, let em protest, we're not listening."

Leader Trump played that angle up...

...until his campaign very presidential like put out this damage control tweet at 5 AM:

The best and most insightful Wisconsin coverage came from WPR's Shawn Johnson (audio below). It was an eye opener that made me realize ignored rural conservative voters wanted something more from their government, not less. Yet they've let their own representatives, who have ignored them, off the hook. So much for all that small government bullshit.



Trump was rural Wisconsin's "Hope and Change" candidate, and they got conned. WKOW's Greg Neumann confirmed all of this in his story below:

Rural voters who carried Trump to victory in Wisconsin, say he showed them respect.

"They thought they were left behind. They don't see a lot of what the federal government does for them."

"I liked that he was for the rural people, the working class."

Pete Carew of the village of Sturtevant said he was one of 1.4 million Wisconsin residents voted for Republican Donald Trump. Carew is tired of both parties saying every four years that they're going to change things for the better and doing nothing about it ... In the past, he always voted Democrat. Not this year.

"The last eight years I stood behind our president 100 percent. I won't say he failed miserably, but he fell really short. Short enough for me to say, 'Why can't we vote outside the box? Why can't we see something different?'"

Literally throwing caution to the wind and 100 years of "change" under the bus, Trump's hyperbolic empty promises were enough for many to take the leap:

"He did a phenomenal job of channeling the economic insecurities and poor people with an agenda that's actually going to devastate them," said Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now.

Shawn Pfaff, who worked on the successful 2006 campaign for former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, grew up in rural La Crosse County, where he said many voters feel economic anxiety and prioritize social issues like gun rights (were ignored). 

"Maybe they're not hearing what's going on out there. Maybe there's heavier focus on the more urban areas of Milwaukee, Madison and some of the issues that dominate that area."

Maybe that's because Democratic legislators make government work for their voters, and Republicans don't. It's a formula that encourages an angry rural resentment, resulting in an anti-government base for Republicans. Trump promised to solve their problems by giving "deserving" rural voters a government solution...amazing:

Professor Katherine Cramer, who directs the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Morgridge Center for Public Service, wrote a book called "The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker." She said rural voters feel disrespected, misunderstood and cheated.

"Donald Trump really tapped into that. Because he came along and he said, 'You know you're right. You're not getting your fair share, and you're right to be angry about it, and you are hardworking people, and you do deserve more, and what you think you deserve is actually going to people who aren't as deserving.'"

With 30,000 Democratic protest votes going to opportunist Jill Stein, and Scott Walker's voter suppress efforts that oddly didn't effect Republican turnout...:

Wisconsin's voter ID law caused problems at the polls in the city and likely contributed to lower voter turnout, Milwaukee's elections chief said Thursday. "We saw some of the greatest declines were in the districts we projected would have the most trouble with voter ID requirements," said Neil Albrecht, executive director of the city's Election Commission.

A spokesman for Republican Gov. Scott Walker insisted that voter ID had not hurt voter turnout.

"Voter turnout in this year's presidential primary was the highest since 1972 with voter ID in place, so to now suggest turnout was down in the general election because of it is wrong. We have made voting easy while ensuring it is hard to cheat. Lower turnout in the general election was true nationwide. It was not unique to Wisconsin or voter ID."

Walker's right, other Republican states had similar problems...I mean results. Just maybe the following comment will make it into the next argument to overturn voter ID:

Milwaukee's Election Commission Director Neil Albrecht said that four districts of the city with the most "transient, high poverty" residents experienced trouble with people struggling to meet the photo identification requirement. Previously, those voters were able to have "corroborating witnesses" vouch for them at the polls. "We had a lot of calls," Albrecht said. "There were college students with roommate situations or spouses where everything was in one spouse's name." He said calls reporting problems came from both those trying to vote and officials at polling places.

By the numbers proof...

Unofficial totals from Tuesday show Clinton lost by just 27,257 votes ... Wisconsin's turnout was lower than it had been in a presidential election for two decades as 66 percent of the voting age population cast ballots. It did not hurt Trump, who received roughly 1,500 votes more than Republican Mitt Romney did in the 2012 presidential election. Clinton, however, received nearly 239,000 fewer votes in Wisconsin than Obama did in 2012.

Sack of Lying Hypocrites to the end...

Some Wisconsin Republicans who used to be critical of Trump were singing his praises after Tuesday's results. That included Wisconsin Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, who was once an outspoken member of the so-called #NeverTrump movement. Steineke called Trump "morally bankrupt con man." In April, he called Trump "a liberal… and a liar." 

But Wednesday, Steineke said ... he "absolutely" accepts Trump as the Republican Party leader.

"I think there's no question that President-elect Trump brought a whole group of new people into the process. He's our president. I'm excited about our prospects moving forward."

Wisconsin's Voter Suppression scheme goes national again, while an unhappy Rep. Robin Vos whines about record early voter turnout.

Wisconsin is again getting bad national press over our voter suppression laws:

This election cycle, 14 states have new voter ID laws, with eight of them limiting what kind of identification voters can use. Some people say the photo ID laws make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in voting booths, but are the new provisions targeting certain groups unfairly? NBC investigative correspondent Ronan Farrow reports for TODAY.

Note: The really loud hum starting off the clip (for 23 seconds-sorry) was a technical problem at MSNBC's site.



Rep. Robin Vos admits to Voter Suppression Tactic: In a surreal political move, Rep. Robin Vos came out swinging against the highest early voter turnout ever, as if that was a bad thing.

Wisconsin hit record early voting Friday in the wake of a federal court order allowing expanded absentee balloting, and the GOP leader of the state Assembly called for restricting the practice to make early voting more uniform across rural and urban areas.Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said:

"We're probably going to have to look at it again to make sure that everybody in the state has the same chance to vote. It shouldn't be up to an unelected judge to have the final say."

Judge Peterson did away with early voter restrictions because they didn't make sense.

Peterson also found requiring early voting to occur at only one location was unconstitutional because it put a greater burden on voters in Milwaukee and other large cities, where many minorities live. It is much easier for a small town to accommodate voters with a single location than Milwaukee and other urban centers, he wrote.

Wisconsin Solicitor General warns repealing unconstitutional Voter ID laws may make voters lose confidence in Elections.

Even after all the safe guards were put in place with photo ID's, Scott Walker's infallible way to protect the integrity and confidence in our elections, we're finding out now that Trump still thinks the elections are "rigged." Here come the poll watchers. 

Republicans aren't done yet with "reform" and scaring the pants of their paranoid low information voters.They still have to maintain the fear of election fraud to motivate them to show up at the polls.  

That where Wisconsin's rabid conservative solicitor general comes in, (a former president of the student chapter of the Federalist Society!):

Wisconsin's solicitor general Misha Tseytlin said Thursday the state's voter ID law is "quite permissive" and should serve as a model for the rest of the country. 

"Wisconsin's voter ID law is often characterized in, what I would say, the partisan press, as one of the more stringent voter ID laws. I think that’s certainly not true now. Wisconsin might be the most permissive state in the union in terms of how someone can get photo ID to satisfy the photo ID law."

Voter fraud is an "overblown" myth, but that never stopped Republicans from going overboard with ways to suppress our right to vote.

In a jaw dropping turning of the tables, Solicitor General Tseytlin focused on the media's "overblown" coverage of problems experienced by those trying to get a photo ID:  

Tseytlin argued Thursday the problems documented in the media and in court are overblown and amount to a fraction of a percentage of the people who have gone through the process. 

That runs counter to Scott Walker's own logic, where even one disenfranchised voter is one too many. And who cares about a "small fraction" of voters?

Now Questioning Voter ID may hurt voter Confidence...Again? I nearly spit out my coffee when I read this reason to keep these bad unconstitutional voter suppression efforts in place: 

Tseytlin agreed there is "very little" voter fraud, but said voters may lose confidence in elections if they see voter ID laws being questioned and struck down.

As they keep reminding us; it's never good to question our political one party authority. 

If Conservative Leaning Rural Polling Places Favor Republicans, should we get rid of them?

Here we go again. First, Republicans pissed and moaned about the mythical voter fraud problem. Then they complained that early voting hours were unfair to rural voters. Now Trump their candidate for president said the whole electoral system is rigged.

Does it look like Republicans are trying their hardest to turn people off to the whole idea of voting?

Insane New Test and Hoop to Jump Through: Does a voting site provide an advantage to the Democratic Party. JS:

Green Bay city clerk Kris Teske didn't want to allow early voting at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in part because she believed it would give Democrats an advantage, records made public Tuesday reveal … she asked state elections regulators in August if she could prevent making the university an early voting site in the face of requests from state Rep. Eric Genrich (D-Green Bay).

Teske became suspicious of the request because a Democrat asked for the early voting site. The Nation-Ari Berman:

The insane part of Teske’s statement begs the question; would a voting site in a heavily conservative rural area also give Republicans an advantage, and shouldn’t that site be closed down as well? Don't think for one moment this excuse won't come up again and again.

And since the city is run by corrupt Mayor Jim Schmitt, guilty of election fraud…

Schmitt agreed to plead guilty to three misdemeanor charges related to accepting illegal campaign donations and falsifying information on his campaign finance reports.

…this incredibly convenient decision was made:

At the time, Green Bay officials said that a time limit prevented them from establishing a satellite voting site … the chief of staff to Green Bay Mayor said Teske was simply trying to properly respond to a judge's ruling that allowed more early voting locations without providing criteria for where they should be located. 

U.S. District Court Judge James Peterson in July struck down limits on early voting that were approved by Gov. Scott Walker and GOP lawmakers:

“The court finds that the legislature specifically targeted large municipalities—Milwaukee in particular—intending to curtail minority voting,” wrote Federal District Court Judge James Peterson, who said Republicans were “suppressing the votes of reliably Democratic minority voters.”

Republicans immediately gamed the judges request. That was fast.

Teske also cited concerns about keeping ballots secure and the cost of opening a satellite voting site.

Because as we all know, voting in some areas gets too expensive to justify in a representative democracy.

Students from across the political spectrum in September asked Teske to allow early voting on campus.

When (April 5 primary) polls closed at 8 pm, there were still 150 students waiting to vote. “Some people described it as chaos,” reported Ellery McCardle of the local ABC affiliate. “People were standing shoulder to shoulder, there was absolutely no room to move around in here.”

Crooked Mayors City Clerk tried to do away with early voting site because "students lean more toward the Democrats."

Rigged election indeed. Looks like Trump offered up a little insider "projection" of what his own party was up to all the time. WSJ:

Green Bay's city clerk asked state officials if she could rebuff a request to put an early voting site on the UW-Green Bay campus because, in her words, "students lean more toward the Democrats," newly released emails show ... first reported Tuesday by The Nation Magazine, was from Green Bay City Clerk Kris Teske, an appointee of the city's mayor, Jim Schmitt. He reportedly has praised Republican Gov. Scott Walker and was considered for a post in Walker's cabinet, and records show he contributed to the campaigns of Republican state representatives.

Oh, Schmitt is much worse than that. Can you say election fraud....

...facing criminal charges of violating state election law, three misdemeanors, including attempted election fraud.

Schmitt issued a statement Wednesday in which he acknowledges mistakes in how his campaign finances were handled. Each count carries a maximum 9 months imprisonment and $10,000 fine upon conviction. Schmitt is accused of accepting contributions over acceptable limits and wrongfully attributing some to relatives. The mayor is also accused of failing to accurately record and verify financial campaign data.

Republican arrogance has once again exposed for everyone to see in Wisconsin their intention to actually suppress voting by their opposition party. This might be exhibit A in a case before the Supreme Court someday:

The report is likely to stoke the controversy surrounding early voting in Wisconsin. A federal judge in July overturned ... restrictions on early voting. It also may fuel charges from Wisconsin Democrats that Walker and other state Republicans have tried to make it more difficult to vote, especially among demographic groups that tend to support Democrats. "It is troubling to see that... trickle down from our state politics to a nonpartisan office," state Rep. Eric Genrich, D-Green Bay, told the Wisconsin State Journal.

Of course con man and crook Mayor Schmitt denied everything. You won't believe this one:

Schmitt's office responded Tuesday by saying "media allegations that the City Clerk is attempting to curtail Democratic voting for this election are completely false." The release says an email from Teske to the state Elections Commission, which was the basis for the reports, simply shows her asking how to interpret a state law that requires impartiality in deciding where polling places are located. Schmitt's chief of staff, Celestine Jeffreys, told the Wisconsin State Journal that Teske felt it was important to consider voting access for all groups in Green Bay, not just college students. "Kris' concern is for everyone," Jeffreys said.

Trolls, tell me you believe what you just read.

She then asks if it's possible to justify rejecting the request due to a state law barring voting sites from being located where they give an advantage to any political party. "I have heard it said that students lean more toward the democrats," Teske writes in the email.

Nathan Judnic, legal counsel for the commission, responded to Teske with an email saying she and city officials "decide what is feasible and serves the needs of the city and its voters. As far as stating that one political party may be advantaged more because of a particular location, I might be hesitant to make that argument unless you could point to something other than 'I've heard that students lean more democratic." Judnic also noted that the city has an Election Day voting location on the campus ... "There is no 'political advantage' then, I’m not sure what the difference is for (early) voting at that same location?" 

Student groups from across the political spectrum, including Republicans and Libertarians, supported the move. 

Judge Peterson on DMV Voter ID Suppression: "Disturbing pattern...state is willing to take minimal effort unless compelled (by) litigation.

Now that we have a totally partisan elections board, few Wisconsinites will take seriously actual problems raised by a few “minority” Democratic members, as long as we have a Republican administration. 

The actual problem was predictable, and pretty simple:

The advocacy group VoteRiders showed Division of Motor Vehicles offices statewide gave inaccurate information to people seeking IDs to vote in November.

That's when the normally rabid Republican preoccupation with electoral integrity disappeared completely.

And that's when a federal judge took immediate action September 30th:

Judge James Peterson ordered the state to “investigate these allegations and provide a report to the court by Oct. 7,” which would include “any corrective action to be taken.”

As expected, Scott Walker’s embarrassing AG lackey Brad Schimel said he didn't see what VoteRiders saw and recorded:

Two Democratic state election commissioners, Mark Thomsen and Ann Jacobs, in a newly released letter to a federal judge, accuse GOP Attorney General Brad Schimel’s Department of Justice, representing the state in the case, of misleading the court in a report submitted Friday. 

In that report, the DOJ said it found no additional problems with how DMVs were handling voter ID in addition to what was previously reported … The DOJ also described state efforts to publicize the petition process as “robust” — which Thomsen and Jacobs dispute in their letter. They note the Elections Commission, the state agency overseeing elections, has gotten no new funding to publicize the petition process.

Federal Judge James Peterson had a few things to say about that at this mornings hearing. Here are a number of reporters tweets during the hearing:

Judge Peterson: "pretty clear" state of WI fell short on obligations for #voterID process at least through September … #voterID training for WI DMV workers was "manifestly inadequate," additional training added recently a "welcome improvement … The WI DMV (was) not communicating to voters what they need to get an ID.

The state is willing to take minimal efforts unless it is compelled to do so because of this litigation. Judge tells #WI DOJ "disturbing pattern here, state only responds to litigation when the problems were entirely predictable" … Judge Peterson says he's inclined to keep voter ID law in place, says he's not sure he has authority to knock it down anyway.

BONUS: Who Would Have Guessed - "Anecdotal Evidence" Voter Fraud is Rampant in NYC: Just for fun, I had to pass on this wonderfully over-the-top, evidence free declaration that NYC is going voter fraud crazy. Not surprisingly, every nonsensical stereotype is listed by a voter ID supporting disgruntled "Democrat." I almost can't remember all the times Republicans said voter ID will help their candidates win...

The conservative nonprofit group Project Veritas has released an undercover video of a Manhattan Democratic representative on the city’s Board of Elections Alan Schulkin ... Footage released Tuesday shows him blasting fraud that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s municipal ID program has cultivated in the city.

“He gave out ID cards, de Blasio. That’s in lieu of a driver’s license, but you can use it for anything. But they didn’t vet people to see who they really are. Anybody can go in there and say, ‘I am Joe Smith, I want an ID card. It’s absurd. There is a lot of fraud. Not just voter fraud, all kinds of fraud … This is why I get more conservative as I get older.”

"Certain neighborhoods in particular” have unregistered voters bused around the city to vote multiple times ... when prompted on minority areas he replied, “Yeah, and Chinese, too. Your vote isn’t really counting, because they can go [into the polling station] with a burqa on and you don’t know if they are a voter. Your vote gets discounted because they come in with a burqa on and they can vote.”

Mr. Schulkin told the Post for its story that he should have said “potential fraud” instead of “fraud,” and that he was “just trying to placate” the Project Veritas employee when they met. “She was like a nuisance,” he told the newspaper.

Walker's phony Voter ID Credentials Scheme Exposed! Judge orders State Report by October 7th.

In a block bust discovery: The Nation's Ari Berman reported that Scott Walker's plan to provide a quick voter IDs to those who don't have a birth certificate still wasn't up and running yet. So US District Judge James Peterson immediately stepped it:

WSJ: Judge orders state to probe report that DMV gave false information on voter ID: Judge James Peterson's order followed a report this week by The Nation that cast doubt on whether Gov. Scott Walker's administration is following a judge's instructions in a court challenge to the state's voter ID law.

I know, it seems crazy to have the state (fox) investigate itself (the hen house) over defying a court order to provide these ID credentials for at least the upcoming election:

The Nation report featured recordings of exchanges with DMV employees that appear to thwart efforts by a homeless man to obtain an ID to vote in the November election.

Peterson, who is presiding over one of two pending legal challenges to Wisconsin's voter ID law, ruled in July that the state must promptly provide voter ID credentials, valid in the November election, to people who request them -- even if they lack some of the underlying documents needed to obtain an ID.

"These reports, if true, demonstrate that the state is not in compliance with this court’s injunction order" from July, Peterson wrote. "The report should explain the scope of the investigation, its results, and any corrective action to be take.”.

Peterson's order instructs the state to "investigate these allegations and provide a report to the court by Oct. 7."

Here's a Twitter screen capture posted by Nation reporter Ari Berman:

"It Just Takes Time:" Admit it, Walker never had any intention of following through on his plan to provide voter ID's until after the election, whether he got caught or not:

Molly McGrath, the national campaign coordinate for VoteRiders, which helps people get voter IDs, accompanied Moore to the DMV and recorded the trip. Read this exchange between her and DMV employees:

More here at Think Progress

Molly: If you initiate the petition process do you get an ID for voting?

DMV Employee 1: No, you don’t get anything.

DMV Employee 2: No, you don’t get anything right away.

Molly: Ok, so even if we start the petition process, and it takes eight weeks, he wouldn’t be able to vote.

DMV Employee 1: Right, right, right.

DMV Employee 2: Well, I don’t know, they’re working on that. It’s kind of up in the air right now.

Molly: I thought you could get an ID, like the sign says over there: “No birth certificate, no problem.” You can get an ID to vote.

DMV Employee 3: You can. It just takes the time.

Molly: So even if we just start the petition process, he wouldn’t get anything temporarily that says you can vote?

DMV Employee 3: Nope. Nope.

Here's Zack Moore,in his own words:

Voter Suppression Unconstitutional Judge Rules...Walker and Schimel surprised...?

The wise and wonderful governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, somehow misinterpreted the Constitution and pushed illegal attempts to suppress voting. What a thing to do in a representative democracy.

Even lapdog AG Brad Schimel, legal scholar and all around good Republican, thought he had this one in the bag. Again, just like last time, he was wrong. JS:

In a sweeping decision shaking up how the November election will be conducted, a federal judge on Friday struck down aspects of Wisconsin's voter ID law, limits on early voting and prohibitions on allowing people to vote early at multiple sites.

The judge also turned back other election laws Republicans have put in place in recent years. The order resets the rules for voting less than four months before the presidential election. A likely appeal could keep the laws in place.

According to WISC:



Just today another big decision came down:

A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a North Carolina voting law finding that Republican lawmakers intentionally discriminated against African-Americans when they passed it. (The) 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the measure's provisions "target African-Americans with almost surgical precision."

The voting law imposed a voter ID requirement, cut early voting opportunities, eliminated same-day voter registration and banned out-of-precinct voting, among other provisions.

Most damming, The appeals court — citing a lower court’s findings — noted that North Carolina legislators not only sought data breaking down voting practices by race, but then crated the law’s new provisions to single out practices disproportionately popular among African Americans, like early voting and provisional ballots. 

In Wisconsin, specifically:

 ... addresses a broader set of election laws that have been modified in recent years, including ones limiting early voting and requiring voters to establish residency 28 days before voting. Both those measures are unconstitutional, U.S. District Judge James Peterson ruled in a 119-page ruling Friday

Aides to Schimel defended the laws, arguing lawmakers have broad leeway to set voting rules as they see fit. 

The voter fraud house of cards keep trampling over our right to vote:

The ruling comes a week after another federal judge ruled voters in November could cast ballots without showing ID if they submitted statements at polling places saying they could not easily get a state-issued ID card. Attorney General Brad Schimel has already appealed that ruling.

Check it out:

As sensible as Judge Peterson's findings were, states rights Republican Jim Steinke would have none of it, noting his party can do anything it wants once given the power:

Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) dismissed the ruling, saying that Peterson overstepped his authority. "Another in a long line of judicial overreaches that usurp states' rights. One more example of why (the U.S. Supreme Court) is critical," Steineke tweeted.

Walker trolls with dumbest tweets that can't help but embarrass state.

I would have assumed Scott Walker did all he could to appeal to the lowest common denominator with these recent tweets. But in an uh-oh moment, he appears to think just like them, unapologetically.

He really doesn't get the difference? Maybe now you know what we're dealing with in Wisconsin.

The Grand Old Party of anecdotes whines Democrats using anecdotes! Claims more time to vote gives "...too much access to the voters."

A federal judge continues to wade through the most outrageous excuses for voter ID and shorter voting hours ever. 

This breath taking partisan headline gleaned from a comment by a supposed nonpartisan county clerk caught my attention. Cap Times:

Waukesha county clerk: Weekend voting gave 'too much access' to Milwaukee, Madison.

That’s the problem; too much access for voters to vote. Who knew. Couldn’t have summed up the Republican scheme better.

The party that uses hearsay and anecdotal constituent stories to write policy, doesn’t like it when tables are turned, even though in this instance the stories aren’t anecdotal:

Attorneys for the state argue the plaintiffs are using anecdotal, "one-in-a-million" cases as an argument to strike down the laws.

Of course it was at that point state attorneys ironically went immediately to their anecdotal evidence:

Cedarburg City Clerk Constance McHugh said she hasn't seen long lines or other complications as a result of the photo ID requirement, and said voters in her community have been pleased to have it in place. 

And while Republicans claim voters are smart, and don’t need a costly ad campaign educating the public about the new voter ID laws, they aren't smart enough to handle more than one location for in-person absentee voting…which confuses them.

Clerk McHugh testified that a policy limiting in-person absentee voting to one location allows her to have more control over the process, and said she believes more than one location would be confusing for Cedarburg voters.

Port Washington city clerk Susan Westerbeke agreed … arguing statewide consistency can limit voter confusion.

So we’re smart, but easily confused? 

Here it comes, “TOO MUCH ACCESS TO THE VOTERS AS FAR AS OPPORTUNITIES.” God forbid that from ever happening:

"If there’s an office open 30 days versus an office that’s only open 10 work days, there are obviously voters that have a lot more access than someone else," Novack said.

"There has to come a point where it’s just giving over-access … to particular parts of the state." Asked whether she thought voters in Milwaukee and Madison had too much access, Novack said, "too much access to the voters as far as opportunities."

Large populations centers need more time to process voters, right? Not according to the Republican brain trust, who actually believe it (I thought they were just BSing). Here's the deal though, if small towns want to have longer voting hours like the cities, they should find a way to pay for it, and not take city hours away. Makes sense doesn't it? 

Waukesha County clerk Kathleen Novack. said she believes eliminating weekend voting "level(s) the playing field" between large urban areas and smaller suburban and rural communities that lack the resources to staff weekend hours.

While small communities argue against spending extra money on voting, they’re quick to spend city cash; with lines around the block, cities should spend more money on additional poll workers.

If long lines start to form at a polling place, Novack said, it would make more sense to add more staff and open more lines within that location rather than opening a second one. "For instance if you’re in the grocery store and there’s a long line, they open up another line," she said.

Finally, down the right wing rabbit hole we go for this classic…

She also argued long lines could be evidence that access is not an issue in urban areas. "Apparently access is an easy thing or they wouldn’t have long lines," she said.

Turns out Racial minorities Majority trying to get Voter ID's at DMV's

Are they that stupid, think we’re that stupid, or are they just that bad at running government? All three folks.

Nearly one-in-five applicants for a state-issued voter ID have been unable to obtain one ... that of the 61 applicants whose requests were denied, 85 percent were African-American, Latino or Native American. 

The well-researched claims voter ID regulations targeted minorities and low income individuals has been borne out by Wisconsinites who tried to get an ID. In an insulting attempt to distract from that reality, the DMV’s administrator claimed they weren’t “considering” race in the petition process, suggesting racial bias after “seeing” the applicant. No, we’re talking about those forced to go to their nearest DMV to exercise their right to vote. WPR:    

Kristina Boardman, administrator of the state Division of Motor Vehicles, which gives out the IDs, acknowledged there have been particular challenges locating vital records for some individuals born in the South, the Chicago area and Puerto Rico. She stressed, however, that race isn't considered during the petition process.

Again, that’s not the point. It’s now extremely clear; those who tried to get voter a ID at the DMV were minorities, the intentional target of suppression by Republicans …and they know it.  

African-Americans and Latinos make up more than half of those who obtain a free, state-issued ID card after going through a special petition process according to testimony heard in a federal trial on Monday on Wisconsin's controversial voter ID law … lawyers for the plaintiffs focused on racial disparities … despite the fact that those populations make up only 12 percent of the state’s general population.

Boardman did have to openly admit:

"Knowing generally the percentages of races of people in Wisconsin, it is disproportionate," testified Kristina Boardman, administrator of the state Division of Motor Vehicles, which gives out the IDs.

I will continue to use Scott Walker’s own standard for voting, and I’m paraphrasing: Even if one vote is stolen, that's one vote to many. The same should be true for taking even one vote away do to a lack of vital records.

1,389 people have entered the petition process between September 2014, when it was created, and May 12. About 1,100 of those cases have been resolved, resulting in the applicant receiving an ID, 98 cases have been cancelled, 67 are pending and 52 have been denied.

Last week, testimony revealed that 85 percent of ID denials since September 2014 were handed to African-Americans or Latinos. Denials occur when the individual and state -- working together -- are unable to find the vital records necessary for an ID. 

And how about Walker's last minute "rule." That can change or go away in an instant, because it it isn't a state law.

Boardman also spoke about an emergency rule approved by Gov. Scott Walker earlier this month ... allows individuals working through the petition process to vote by providing them a receipt that serves as valid identification at the polls.

Don't forget the arrogant off the cuff comments by Republican state legislators:

Dr. Allan Lichtman has testified ... that changes in Wisconsin's voting laws, particularly the shortening of early voting periods and the elimination of special registration deputies, disproportionately effect minorities and students. He also said Wisconsin politicians have been more open than others across the country about the political intent of the voter ID law.

Walker now writing election law, he calls "rules," to Influence Voter ID court challenges.

Wow, did voting in Wisconsin just get a whole lot more convoluted?

Let’s start with the idea that Scott Walker can write election law, which he's calling a “rule,” without the help of the legislature. Is this one of those executive orders usurping the legislatures constitutional duties?

Walker is now trying at the last minute to influence lawsuits now affecting voter ID. This would not have happened otherwise. What a guy. JS:

Voters who are seeking a photo ID card but not yet received it will be able to use a Division of Motor Vehicles receipt to vote in more cases, under a new rule Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker approved Wednesday just ahead of Monday's federal trial on the state's voting laws.

1. In December, U.S. District Judge James Peterson in Madison threw out a challenge to the voter ID law itself, but determined the liberal One Wisconsin Institute and others who brought the lawsuit could keep alive their arguments that voters should be able to use a broader range of IDs for voting. A trial is set to begin Monday.

2. Wednesday's action also comes in the wake of a unanimous ruling last month by the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that opened the door to the possibility that people could cast ballots without presenting IDs if they have great difficulty getting them. That decision returned the case to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman in Milwaukee for further proceedings. "The right to vote is personal and is not defeated by the fact that 99% of other people can secure the necessary credentials easily," Appeals Judge Frank Easterbrook wrote for the panel. The ruling was targeted at some of the same people and ID problems covered by the new Walker administration rules, such as those whose birth certificates contain errors or are no longer available.

COMPLICATED, CONVOLUTED...or, maybe you should think twice about going through all that trouble: With all the hoops already in place just to vote, add to that, this...

1. The DMV is changing the process used to issue receipts to residents who are seeking a photo ID to vote

2. The receipts are meant to be used for voting while the DMV sorts out whether those applying for regular ID cards should get them.

3. The ID cards are free and under the new rule the DMV will have to pay for applicants to get birth certificates or other key documents.

4. The receipts will be issued by mail within six days if the DMV is unable to make a determination before then on whether a regular ID card should be issued. The receipts will include the applicant's photo and be marked "for voting purposes only."

5. People who have previously been denied ID cards or whose requests are pending will be issued receipts for voting, according to the rule.

And check this out. You think the administration won't check to see if your name is on any of the existing recall lists? This applies to point 4 above as well:

6. Administrators in DMV's central office in Madison will make the final call on who gets ID cards if they don't have birth certificates or other documentation of their identity. In the past, that's been left to officials in DMV offices around the state. Having the decisions made at the agency's headquarters is aimed at more consistent rulings.

7. The DMV will have to provide translators for those who cannot read or understand information about the process for getting IDs, the rule says.

At no cost to the state? Oh, who cares...

Walker angry about money spent challenging Voter ID, will punish us by opposing cash for information campaign on the new Law.

Scott Walker doesn't like it when Wisconsinites question his authority. Those who challenged his voter ID law are now going to regret speaking out against him. They'll think twice next time, as Walker ponders punishing everyone by not telling them about the new voter ID regulations. JS: 

Republican legislative leaders showed an openness this week to spending $250,000 on ads informing the public about the state's voter ID law even as GOP Gov. Scott Walker expressed skepticism about the idea.

Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), the committee's co-chair. "I think it's something we should look for. It contributes to more people knowing what has changed in the system."

But Walker: "The fact is that the state had to spend a whole lot of time and money defending the law, and continues to do so today," he told WBAY-TV. "If people were really serious about that, they should have allowed the state to use all that money to fight in courts to use that in promoting the system."

Yes Scott, we've all learned our lesson, dissent will not be tolerated and may be costly, that whole 1st Amendment thing. 

Scott Walker's Rube Goldberg Voting System may just get more complicated...for all the right reasons this time.

Republicans don't like to make anything easy. Imagine how much extra time we'd all have if we didn't have to shop for health insurance every year. I'm also convinced Republicans want to make voting so hard or inconvenient that people will eventually just lose interest.

As the title suggests, there's a possible change coming to the voting process, and this time as Martha Stewart would say, "it's a good thing." I can't wait to see what Scott Walker and the Republican legislature will do next, since this puts them in a tough spot. If they don't go along with it right away...it just confirms what Rep. Glenn Grothman said was true. JS:

Wisconsin and other states have adopted voter ID laws more stringent than Indiana's. For instance, Indiana's law allows people who can't get IDs to sign affidavits at the polls instead of showing IDs. Wisconsin has no such provision — a point the appeals judges noted Tuesday.

"Indeed, one may understand plaintiffs as seeking for Wisconsin the sort of safety net that Indiana has had from the outset. Under Wisconsin's current law, people who do not have qualifying photo ID ... cannot vote, even if it is impossible for them to get such an ID. Plaintiffs want relief from that prohibition, not from the general application of (the voter ID law) to the millions of persons who have or readily can get qualifying photo ID. The right to vote is personal and is not defeated by the fact that 99% of other people can secure the necessary credentials easily."  

But the panel of appeals judges on Tuesday ... noted instances where government agencies have lost birth certificates in fires or where people have been told they can't get an ID without a Social Security card and they can't get a Social Security card without an ID. The three judges who issued Tuesday's ruling — Easterbrook, Diane Sykes and Michael Kanne — were all appointed by Republican presidents.

The almost laughable argument yet, came from Walker's AG lapdog Brad Schimel. Only a total incompetent screw-up would offer up this excuse, and I'm paraphrasing; a record number of people, mostly Republicans, turned out voter! So hey, what's the problem?  You can't make this stuff up:

Johnny Koremenos, a spokesman for Attorney General Brad Schimel, emphasized, "Given the overwhelming success of the DOT program, and the fact that our state's recent primary elections involved record turnouts, we are confident that we will prevail on the narrow issues that the court remanded on." Koremenos ... noted voters can get IDs for free from the state Department of Transportation.

Of course that has nothing to do with the problem, but it'll probably sufficiently fill the dead still air between the voters ears who are dying for another order.

Check out the Nation's story on one victim of voter ID:

"Voter ID Fraud" Exposed, "stand with Walker" suckers!!!

Oddly, the day after the election, media coverage of the primary made no mention of long lines and waiting periods to vote.

Thankfully, the national coverage still thinks it's an important issue, especially after the disaster in Arizona that still boggles the mind. Here's a collection that includes Chris Hayes, Glenn Grothman, Todd Allbaugh, and WKOW's Greg Neumann's reporting:



Voter ID suppression is back, thanks to Glenn Grothman (growth-men). CNN noted TMJ4's reporter didn't somehow red flag that statement, and ask a followup question:

Grothman pivoted back to praising Cruz and the interview moved on without any follow-up.

Voter ID law is the fraud. I wonder how "stand with Walker" dupes now feel having bought into the "voter fraud" con? In the weekly Isthmus, chief of staff for former state Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center), Todd Allbaugh blasted the ID law:

"I was in the closed Senate Republican Caucus when the final round of multiple voter ID bills was being discussed. A handful of the GOP Senators were giddy about the ramifications and literally singled out the prospects of suppressing minority and college voters." 

Allbaugh saw the suppression first hand:

The truth? There was almost no fraud. Oh wait, GOP Speaker Robin Vos' estranged wife allegedly voted in both Idaho and Wisconsin, and a GOP staffer was caught voting twice. But it was good rhetoric.

Yesterday, one of my employees, born in California, went to get a Wisconsin ID. He was told he couldn't use his California ID to get a Wisconsin ID without his birth certificate, which is back in California. The result? He's not able to vote. Here's a young man in his early 20s, who is interested in voting for the first time in his life. He was excited to go to the polls. What kind of a state, a legislature, a political party is it that denies this young man his right?

All In's Chris Hayes interviewed an energized Allbaugh who made it amazingly clear:

Allbaugh: "These people in the Capitol, forget about Robert M. "fighting Bob" La Follette, dhe was a Republican. His wife Belle Case La Follette moved women's suffrage forward in this state. Republicans used to fight for voting rights, and here they're taking it away."  

Lines, Lines and More Lines: Dripping with Democratic suppression in Arizona, Helen Purcell fell on the party sword acting surprised there would be lines after going from 200 polling places to 60. Stunning and transparent, you can't help but feel embarrassed for Purcell:

Maricopa County's top elections official, Recorder Helen Purcell, cut the number of polling places in the presidential primary from 200 in 2012 to just 60 on Tuesday, although those were larger voting centers where any registered voter could cast a ballot. During the last high-turnout presidential primary, in 2008, there were 400 polling places in the county of 4 million residents. Purcell took responsibility for Tuesday's foul-up and acknowledged she made a mistake. She said she relied on voter turnout expectations, the fact independents could not vote in the primary, and that most Arizonans are mailed early ballots. But she said the problems at the polls were in no way intended to suppress participation.

"When you see people who are still willing to cast that vote and wait in line until well after the polls close, I don't think that's voter suppression," Purcell said.

Check out more coverage at the Huffington Post