Wisconsin Voting Rights Trial: Ex-GOP Staffer Names Republican Senators Who Cheered Voter Suppression

"The former staffer to a Wisconsin state Republican senator who went public last month with accusations that the state's voter ID law was passed by GOPers looking for a political advantage elaborated on the claims in federal court Monday and identified the previously unnamed legislators he said were gleeful over the law."

Todd Allbaugh, testifying in a case challenging the law, named then-Sens. Mary Lazich, Glenn Grothman, Leah Vukmir and Randy Hopper as being 'giddy' in a 2011 private caucus meeting about passing the bill," (Journal Sentinel), reports Tierney Sneed, TPM. See also Opoien, The Capital Times.

The expected two-week trial, (One Wisconsin Institute v. Nichol (U.S. District Court of the Western District of Wisconsin (Case 15-cv-324)), began today and is expected to focus attention on Republican Party efforts to suppress as many perceived non-Republican voters as possible through a variety of changes to election law, supported by Republicans and only Republicans against unanimous Democratic Party and voting rights activists' opposition.

Though national political chatter often speaks of a crack in Republican Party unity, stopping non-Republican voters from voting is universally acclaimed, and supporting voting suppression is part of the price of admission to Republican politics.

U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson is presiding over the One Wisconsin bench trial.

The Democratic Party remains the party of voting rights, not a particularly popular position in the American political culture.

Earlier this month, Wisconsin's Democratic congressional delegation requested a U.S. DoJ review of the Wisconsin Voter ID law and other voter suppression tactics enacted into law by Wisconsin Republicans since 2011, (Mal Contends).