Subject Matter Experts or Partisan Hack

Update: See Dane County Case Number 2008CV004085 for more information on this DoJ Petition for a Writ of Mandamus.

As reported in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel,

Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen sued the state this week to require more checks of voter information against driver's license records - a move that critics say could force people off the voter rolls and require them to cast provisional ballots. Provisional ballots are counted only when voters provide proof of residence by the next day.

Van Hollen asked a Dane County judge Friday to expedite proceedings in the case because the election is fast approaching. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

The imperative of Wisconsin to establish a centralized, computerized voter registration list "coordinated with other agency databases within the State" like the DOT comes from federal law, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which Van Hollen cites in the DOJ Complaint.

But the administrative implementation of HAVA is at best problematic for states with limited resources.

But instead of ceding to the subject matter experts (the Government Accountability Board (GAB)) on implementing HAVA, the partisan Van Hollen wants to call the shots, taking his cues from the GOP voter suppression campaign, in the name of stamping out voter fraud and removing voters from the state voter list, as Van Hollen writes in his complaint, referencing fraud though refusing to mention that it almost never occurs:

The state maintains the obligation of "… preventing election fraud and illegally cast ballots…" and has "...an express obligation to ensure that ineligible voters are removed from Wisconsin’s statewide computerized voter registration list."

As noted widely, Van Hollen seeks a judicial order requiring all election clerks to coordinate voter information with DOT driver's license records for those voters who registered to vote or changed their address from Jan. 1, 2006, to Aug. 5, 2008.

Van Hollen files his complaint fully aware that correlating voter names from the state voter list with driver’s licenses has already been demonstrated to result in 100,000s of mismatches of eligible voters, including GAB members being mismatched, and that what he seeking would cause massive confusion and delay, and force 100,000s of voters to come back the day after Election Day with corroborating information to make their provisional ballots count.

Van Hollen’s remedy, if his wins his suit, would erect barriers on the very Election Day that is expected to break records in the number of Wisconsin citizens casting ballots.

So at next Thursday’s hearing, we may get to see who wins at Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi's courtroom:

- The subject matter experts (the Government Accountability Board (GAB)) protecting the rights of Wisconsin voters, and responsible for the administration and enforcement of campaign finance, elections, ethics and lobbying laws in Wisconsin

- Or the partisan, voter-suppressing GOP lead by our own Attorney General and McCain campaign co-chair, J.B. Van Hollen