Friday, January 14, 2011

Stone Introduces the "Help Me Get Elected" Bill

Earlier this week Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) introduced legislation that would require Wisconsinites to present an official photo ID when voting at the polls. Even though Republicans said that their number one priority was jobs and the economy they certainly did rush this unrelated legislation out quick. Scott Walker admitted that they are trying to hurry this bill through before the April elections. Naturally it is an election where Jeff Stone is running to be a Walker clone in the office of the Milwaukee County executive.

Has anyone bothered to ask Jeff Stone about the self serving nature of him introducing this bill at this time? He is seeking a position in Milwaukee County while at the same time trying to rush through a bill that would make it more difficult for people in this county to vote. Specifically, the constituencies that are least likely to vote for him in Milwaukee County .

According the the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story there is some internal debate about whether the voter ID legislation should wait and be coupled with other Republican efforts to drive down turnout in Milwaukee County. Apparently Stone understands why some in his party want to couple his bill with their other suppression efforts but at the same time he thinks that his bill should stand alone. Yeah, of course he wants his bill to stand alone. That is the only hope that he has to rush it through the legislature and get it passed just in time for the April election.

Perhaps Jeff Stone should just be upfront with the people of Wisconsin and rename his voter ID legislation something more like the "help me get elected" bill.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Anyone wonder why Gov. Dole vetoed the bill three times? No wonder Stone would put it through now.

How do you propose to verify a person voting is a citizen if we don't even make verifying that a condition to allow folks to register.

Right now, anyone can register to vote with out providing anything more than more than a utility bill. You don't have to be a citizen to rent a place and sign up for utility service.

Control over elections has been lost and this is one small step to getting it back under control.

Cory Liebmann said...

there has been no widespread voter fraud problems (documented) in Wisconsin. it only seems to exist within conservative talking points.

no one that i know wants an undocumented immigrant to vote. there should be a way to further prevent that while at the same time preventing the suppression of legal voters (which several studies have shown voter ID laws in fact do).