Capitol Connection
By State Senator Joe Leibham
September 17, 2008
GAB Request for Birthdates Not a Scam
This week, I was contacted by a number of constituents who received a letter from the Government Accountability Board (GAB) asking for verification of their date of birth. As a follow-up to my column last week detailing the GAB's troubles with the statewide voter database, I would like to take this opportunity to provide reassurance to those who have received this letter and address some other questions that have come up over the past week.
Last week, I discussed with you a series of issues that have arisen as a result of the GAB rolling out the long-overdue Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) database. As you may recall, the system has already encountered problems with conflicting or missing data on tens of thousands of voters. As a result, GAB is now working with local municipal clerks to fill in some of the gaps.
In one effort to clarify conflicting or missing voter records, the GAB has mailed letters to approximately 83,000 voters requesting their correct date of birth. Please understand that your date of birth is required under the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and I would encourage you to provide the requested data to the GAB if you have received one of these letters so they can follow the federal law.
Since the GAB did not inform legislators that they were going to take this action, I was initially unaware that these letters had been sent out. Thanks to cautious voters, I was alerted to this matter and have verified that it is a legitimate request by the GAB and not a scam. Again, this is a legitimate request and I encourage you to complete the enclosed form and return it to the GAB. You may also provide this information in person at your polling place on Election Day if you are not comfortable doing so by mail.
While I appreciate the GAB’s effort to verify certain voter records through obtaining accurate dates of birth, I am still extremely concerned about their decision not to verify the accuracy and integrity of tens of thousands of voter registrations received between January 1, 2006 (the date by which the SVRS database was supposed to be completed) and August 6, 2008 (the date the system finally came online). Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has filed a lawsuit against the GAB to force the Board to verify the integrity of all of these registrations. As I stated last week, I support this lawsuit. To maintain a healthy democracy, it is critical that every voter is who they say they are, and I do not currently have the confidence that we will have a fraud-free November election if these registrations are not double-checked.
Unfortunately, Attorney General Van Hollen has come under fire from various partisan groups for his decision. I believe this is an unfair criticism, because his lawsuit simply seeks to direct the GAB to follow state and federal law. As the Attorney General stated earlier this week, “disenfranchisement can occur by not following the law. The right to vote includes the right to have one’s vote protected from being diminished and diluted by ineligible, illegal, or fraudulent votes. Every unlawful vote disenfranchises those entitled to vote by making lawful votes count less than they should.” I could not agree more.
I have also been contacted by a few constituents who took exception to my statement in last week’s column that the individuals referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney for investigation were employed by organizations that typically affiliate with the political positions of the Democratic Party. Please understand that the groups who employed these individuals – the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and the Community Voters Project – have made no secret of their overtly partisan and long-held desire to elect liberals and Democrats. I did not make this comment for any partisan purpose but simply because it is the truth.
The health of our electoral process depends upon the premise that each voter is who they say they are and is entitled to one single vote. When this premise is breached, it cuts at the very fabric that has held our nation together for 232 years. As your State Senator, I will not let such abuses go unnoticed and unaddressed.
Is there a state program, law or issue you would like me to address? “Just ask Joe” by calling me at 888-295-8750, writing to P.O. Box 7882, Madison, WI 53707-7882, or by e-mailing me at Sen.Leibham@legis.wi.gov. You can also log on to the 9th Senate District on-line office at
www.leibhamsenate.com.
As always, it has been a pleasure communicating with you. It is an honor representing the residents of the 9th District in the State Senate!