Capitol Connection

By State Senator Joe Leibham

October 15, 2008

 

What Will Happen to Your Vote in Your County

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been inundated with questions from local voters who are concerned with the reports they are hearing about numerous election related problems across the nation and right here in Wisconsin.  As a voter and as a citizen, I share these concerns.  As your State Senator, I have penned the following letter to each of the four County Clerks who are responsible for the elections in the 9th Senate District.  The goal of my letter is to get answers and information for you regarding how each of our County Clerks is working to ensure that every vote cast in their county is legitimate.

Following is the letter I sent to the Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Fond du Lac and Calumet County Clerk:

Dear County Clerk Glancey,

As Election Day 2008 approaches, citizens are hearing more and more news reports about potential problems with voter registrations and the efforts of "Special Registration Deputies" here in Wisconsin - and across the nation - who are signing up "voters" who are either deceased or non-existent.  Now, additional reports have surfaced about one group - the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) – and the fact that they have registered some individual voters over 70 times in other parts of the country.

As you can imagine, I have been inundated with inquiries about these bogus registrations from area voters who are concerned that their legally-cast vote will be cancelled out by a fraudulent one.  These individuals raise legitimate concerns and they rightly wish to know what their local elected officials and election administrators are doing to address these issues and ensure that every vote cast in their county of residence is legitimate.

As such, I am respectfully inquiring as to what your office is doing to ensure that all voter registrations received in Sheboygan County are, in fact, legitimate and legal.  To this end, I have three questions that I would like to ask you on behalf of the residents of the 9th District:

1 - How many new voter registrations has Sheboygan County received since January 1, 2006 when the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) was supposed to be implemented by the former State Elections Board (now the Government Accountability Board)?

2 - How many of these new registrations have, per federal law under the Help America Vote Act, been verified against the SVRS?

3 - What is the plan between now and Election Day to double-check those voter registrations in Sheboygan County that have yet to be verified as legitimate against the SVRS given that the GAB will apparently not be doing so?  What can average citizens do to help you accomplish your plan?

As you know, three individuals in Milwaukee County have already been charged criminally with signing up fraudulent "voters" and almost 50 more are still under investigation for potential prosecution.  The citizens I talk with each day are having their confidence in our election system shaken to the core and they are eager to know that proper measures and processes are being undertaken to guarantee the integrity of our elections in Sheboygan County and the State of Wisconsin.

I sincerely appreciate your answers to these pressing questions.  I understand that you are in the midst of an extremely demanding election season, but the urgency of these questions cannot be underestimated.  I appreciate your prompt response.

Thank you for your service to Sheboygan County.  It is an honor representing the residents of the 9th District in the State Senate!

I look forward to receiving this information and I will share it with you.  While we may not be able to control every election across this nation, we can and we should work together to ensure that only legitimate votes are cast in each of the counties we reside.

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!