Intent and Effect of the Blocked GOP Photo Voter ID Law Is to Obstruct, Confuse and Discourage People from Voting
No Voter IDs are needed in Wisconsin for any election as U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman's order remains in effect.
Judge Adelman could not have been clearer, writing: "IT IS ORDERED that the named Defendants and Defendants’ officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys, and all those acting in concert or participation with them, or having actual or implicit knowledge of this Order by personal service or otherwise, are here by permanently enjoined from conditioning a person’s access to a ballot, either in-person or absentee, on that person’s presenting a form of photo identification." (p.70; emphasis in original)
But Scott Walker and the Republican Party's voter obstruction campaign continues, and yesterday Scott Walker pretended Judge Adelman's order and opinion of April 29, 2014 does not exist.
Scott Walker's office released a statement yesterday reading in part the "DMV is additionally offering to verify underlying documents, free of charge, to make sure everyone who wants an ID for the purpose of voting, is able to get one," (emphasis added) a transparently misleading press release, masquerading as a new policy in compliance with the Wisconsin Supreme Court's corrupt ruling on Act 23.
Walker did not mention that the photo voter ID law remains enjoined by Judge Adelman and no ID is needed for registered voters to cast a vote in Wisconsin.
A contempt hearing should be requested on the basis that a willfully misleading official communication from the Wisconsin Office of the Governor has the clear intent and effect of misleading and confusing Wisconsin citizens on the status of Act 23, per Adelman's injunction.
Is a misleading communication suggesting a person’s access for the purpose of voting is conditioned by presenting a form of Photo Voter ID contumacious of Judge Adelman's order?
An attorney can at the least make a good argument that this official communication by Scott Walker is contumacious and request a hearing.
Voting rights advocates need to get on the offense, a press release won't cut it.
Scott Walker is playing games and daring Adelman to act.
Writes Andrea Kaminski of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin:
Statements by Governor Walker and other proponents of the ID law about a new process for obtaining an ID – which is not needed under the injunction – are misleading for a number of reasons. First, they neglect to say that the law is still blocked. Secondly, the statements claim that the photo ID law only hurts a few individuals, when strong evidence was presented in the courts showing that some 300,000 currently registered voters in our state do not possess an acceptable photo ID card, were the law in effect.
Finally, anyone who would suggest implementing voter ID at this late date before an election must have it out for election officials and voters alike. Implementation would affect absentee voting, and municipal clerks are already preparing to send out absentee ballots. They would have to amend the instructions and establish new procedures for processing the ballots. They do not have time in these busy final weeks to retrain their poll workers and educate voters.
The announcement of new procedures for obtaining an ID -- which is unneeded under the injunction – shows that the true intent of this law is not to improve elections but rather to cause confusion and discourage people from voting.
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