Hmmmmmm.........
On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 10:54 AM, Bruce Majors <[email protected]>wrote: > > > > Top DOT official tells staff not to mention free voter ID cards to the > public — unless they askby Jessica Vanegeren and Shawn Doherty > The Capital Times > (Madison, Wisconsin) > 9/7/11 > > An internal > memo<http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/host.madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/65/265445bc-d8cd-11e0-b017-001cc4c002e0/4e668d1c66c3d.pdf.pdf>from > a top Department of Transportation official instructs workers at > Division of Motor Vehicles service centers not to tell members of the public > that they can obtain voter identification cards free of charge -- unless > they know to ask for it. > > The memo, recently obtained by The Capital Times, was written by Steve > Krieser and sent to all state Department of Transportation and Department of > Motor Vehicles employees on July 1, the same day employees were to begin > issuing photo IDs in accordance with a controversial new voter photo ID law > adopted earlier in the year. > > As laid out in the memo, failure to check a box when applying for photo ID > with the Division of Motor Vehicles will result in the payment of $28. > Interviews conducted about the memo suggest the state is more interested in > continuing to charge the fee, which is required for a photo ID used for > non-voting purposes, than it is in removing all barriers and providing easy > access to a free, photo ID. > > "While you should certainly help customers who come in asking for a free ID > to check the appropriate box, you should refrain from offering the free > version to customers who do not ask for it," Krieser writes to employees. > > Krieser, who was recently promoted to executive assistant to the DOT > secretary, instructs staff that customers should "self certify" their > eligibility for the free ID. They can do that, he writes, if they meet the > documentation requirements; if they are at least 17 years old; if they have > checked the correct certification box on the new forms; and, most > significantly, if they are "asking for a product that is available for free > issuance." > > The law, passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. > Scott Walker on May 25, requires Wisconsin residents to present > identification before they can vote. Republicans said it was necessary to > combat voter fraud. > > Acceptable forms of identification under the law include Wisconsin driver's > licenses, certain student identification cards, passports, and voter > identification cards for the thousands of residents who may not have any of > those documents. > > Democrats fought hard against the > law<http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_ceaa2760-822c-11e0-887b-001cc4c03286.html>, > and the internal memo will likely provide further ammunition to charges that > it is a modern-day version of the poll taxes once used to disenfranchise > voters in the South, most of them African-American. Typically under those > laws <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poll_tax>, citizens were required to > pay to vote unless they had a father or grandfather who had voted prior to > the abolition of slavery. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1966 that such > laws were unconstitutional. > > "It was clear to me from the beginning that people would be disenfranchised > because of this law," says state Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, D- Madison, after > reading a copy of the memo. "Now we have the proof that people are not going > to be getting these IDs unless the say the ‘magic words.'" > > Similarly, Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now describes the memo as "the > smoking gun" proving the legislation was always about denying people the > right to vote. The director of the progressive advocacy group has for months > disputed the GOP contention that the bill was needed to thwart massive > voting fraud, citing the fact that fewer than two dozen people were charged > with casting improper votes in the 2008 state elections. > > But Krieser defends the directive he gave employees, saying in an interview > Tuesday that when the law was written, it did not contain language that > requires Division of Motor Vehicles employees to specifically ask those > requesting a photo ID if they would be using it to vote or for another > purpose. > > "If the person initiates that direction, then certainly, we will help them. > We will not be coy," Krieser says. "But we still are not going to be selling > it at the counter as a free ID." > > Since July 1, roughly 8,000 new IDs were issued and roughly 10,300 were > renewed, according to figures supplied by the Department of Transportation. > Of those roughly 18,300 IDs, nearly 59 percent were issued at no cost. > > Michael Pyritz, a legislative aide to Rep. Jeff Stone, R-Greendale, who > sponsored the voter ID bill, says given that there are numerous other > reasons people need photo ID aside from voting, the intent of the law was > not to have anyone without an ID to "all of a sudden" get a free one. > > "But if they need it for voting, they can get a free ID," he says. > > Robert Kraig, the executive director of the progressive advocacy group > Citizen Action of Wisconsin, however, scoffs at claims that the policy as > outlined in the memo is designed to prevent the public from ripping off the > state by obtaining free identification cards for purposes other than voting. > > "That is absurd. They are the ones who created this whole situation by > passing this law," Kraig says, adding that if some people get free cards > when they would not have before, "well that's the state's problem." > > Reid Magney, a spokesman for the accountability board, says that while the > DMV is not required to say the cards are free, the board will be launching a > major public education campaign about the voter photo ID law in January. One > of the campaign's main messages is that the state ID is free if you ask for > it, he says. > > In the meantime, Krieser says the Department of Transportation is planning > to place signs at each of the DMV service offices that say people need to > check the box on the form in order to receive an ID for free. He says the > signs are "in the design phase" and could not give a date when they would be > placed in DMV offices. > > > > > http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/capitol-report/article_335f59fa-d8fe-11e0-8a23-001cc4c03286.html > > > > --- On > > __._,_.___ > Reply to > sender<[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Oh%2C%20Brucie%2C%20you%20won%27t%20like%20this%20>| > Reply > to > group<[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Oh%2C%20Brucie%2C%20you%20won%27t%20like%20this%20>| > Reply > via web > post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NewJersey_for_Kerry/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJyaGJsM28yBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExODQyNjEyBGdycHNwSWQDMTcxMzY4NjM3NARtc2dJZAMyMTU5NQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzEzMTU1MjcxMTQ-?act=reply&messageNum=21595>| > Start > a New > Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NewJersey_for_Kerry/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmaDMzMGxoBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExODQyNjEyBGdycHNwSWQDMTcxMzY4NjM3NARzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNudHBjBHN0aW1lAzEzMTU1MjcxMTQ-> > Messages in this > topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NewJersey_for_Kerry/message/21587;_ylc=X3oDMTM3bzFxbmViBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExODQyNjEyBGdycHNwSWQDMTcxMzY4NjM3NARtc2dJZAMyMTU5NQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEzMTU1MjcxMTQEdHBjSWQDMjE1ODc->( > 8) > Recent Activity: > > > Visit Your > Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NewJersey_for_Kerry;_ylc=X3oDMTJmamZqbXA1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzExODQyNjEyBGdycHNwSWQDMTcxMzY4NjM3NARzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzEzMTU1MjcxMTQ-> > MARKETPLACE > How Bad is Your Score? 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