Scott Walker Brief Cites Falsehood in Absentee Voters, Confusion Reigns

Scott Walker's brief opposing a judicial order blocking Photo Voter ID asserts, "GAB (Wisconsin Governmental Accountability Board) provided local election officials with draft communications that are to be sent to every voter who has requested an absentee ballot, thereby informing those voters to provide a copy of their photo ID to local election officials."

After initial reports in the press of the Wisconsin Governmental Accountability Board (GAB) saying a copy of a Photo Voter ID could be sent with an absentee ballot already sent out, it turns out voters cannot receive absentee ballots unless their first present a Photo ID at City Hall in person.

This was only for some absentee voters.

The following excerpt from a letter sent by the City of Fitchburg to some other absentee voters attempting to interpret the GAB communications reads:

So, some absentee ballot voters (often disabled) have to make a trip to City Hall, present an ID and then receive an absentee ballot in the mail, according to the email above and a hardcopy letter.

"Clerks now have to follow up with three sets of voters — those who have requested absentee ballots but haven't been mailed one; those who have been sent absentee ballots but haven't returned them; and those who have already turned in their absentee ballots. Kennedy didn't have a breakdown of how many people fell into each group," notes Patrick Marley in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Municipal clerks are struggling to make sense of GAB communiques, according to a Fitchburg City Hall source, as the GAB has resembled a cheerleader more than an agency ensuring Wisconsin voters get to vote.

Assisting a disabled voter yesterday, I was told that the voter could in fact send a copy of a Photo Voter ID with the ballot, but when I presented the letter saying first the voter had to come to City Hall and present an ID to get the ballot sent, the staffer said the GAB communications have been "confusing."

Catch 22 and confusion. For Scott Walker, mission accomplished.

Scott Walker Asks for Voter ID Chaos; Argues Against Vacating Stay Citing Confusion

"Plaintiffs [civil rights groups] focus on a very small number of voters who they speculate will have problems obtaining qualifying ID, but this focus on a fraction of the electorate is not a justification to revisit the panel’s Order" reads Scott Walker's brief against vacating a stay of Wisconsin Photo Voter ID law, passed with exclusive Republican support. (p.3)

Walker's very small number: 300,000 registered Wisconsin votes, who are unlikely to vote for Scott Walker.

Walker argues vacating the stay will cause "confusion," though he has made numerous requests for staying the law, vowing to have in Voter ID in place for Election Day, granting while the election had already begun. (p.7)

Rick Hasen has the story of the next step in appellate court; in sum law, reason and facts do not play well with Republican judicial activists.