Post by Logan on Feb 10, 2016 5:23:32 GMT -6
Senate passes bill to allow online voter registration; critics say it would halt registration drives
Wisconsin would join the majority of states that allow voters to register online under a bill that passed the state Senate on Tuesday.
But critics object to a portion of the bill they say — instead of making it more convenient for voters to register — would bar civic groups from helping them do so through voter registration drives.
Democratic senators offered 10 amendments to the bill during Tuesday’s floor debate, each of which were rejected by majority Republicans. They painted the bill as part of a broader attempt by Republicans to make it tougher to vote.
Republicans portrayed the bill, which passed on a 19-13 vote, as an obvious step to modernize state elections.
The bill appears to be on a fast track toward Gov. Scott Walker’s desk in the final weeks of the 2016 legislative session. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said last week he expects a “substantially similar” bill to advance in that chamber.
Read more: host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/senate-passes-bill-to-allow-online-voter-registration-critics-say/article_555a3d84-295b-5948-a239-8397e6a6e0db.html
Wisconsin would join the majority of states that allow voters to register online under a bill that passed the state Senate on Tuesday.
But critics object to a portion of the bill they say — instead of making it more convenient for voters to register — would bar civic groups from helping them do so through voter registration drives.
Democratic senators offered 10 amendments to the bill during Tuesday’s floor debate, each of which were rejected by majority Republicans. They painted the bill as part of a broader attempt by Republicans to make it tougher to vote.
Republicans portrayed the bill, which passed on a 19-13 vote, as an obvious step to modernize state elections.
The bill appears to be on a fast track toward Gov. Scott Walker’s desk in the final weeks of the 2016 legislative session. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said last week he expects a “substantially similar” bill to advance in that chamber.
Read more: host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/senate-passes-bill-to-allow-online-voter-registration-critics-say/article_555a3d84-295b-5948-a239-8397e6a6e0db.html