August 04, 2006

"Federal Department of Justice approves Wisconsin voter rule"

"Voters without a driver's license will be able to cast a ballot on Election Day under a state rule that received federal approval.

The U.S. Department of Justice gave its OK in a letter dated Thursday to the rule that the state Elections Board passed last month.

It allows voters without a driver's license to cast a provisional ballot that would only count if the voters can produce their license by 4 p.m. the following day. To cast a provisional ballot they would have to give the last four digits of their Social Security number or present a state identification card.

People who wanted to register to vote at the polls would have to have their driver's license.

The board reached the approach as a compromise after an earlier rule drew criticism from U.S. Reps. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, and Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, and the state Republican Party, which said it would violate 2002's federal Help America Vote Act.

Green issued a statement Friday saying the rule has the potential to complicate the election process but it's better than the previous version. He called the compromise a "step in the right direction."

Officials with the state Elections Board could not be reached for comment late Friday.

The new rule will be in effect for the Sept. 12 primary.

Republicans who control the state Legislature have been pushing for voters to present photo identification at the polls, saying the move would prevent voter fraud."

The story is here.

Posted by Randy Riddle at August 4, 2006 05:03 PM