Virtual Forum

Protect Your Right to Vote: Proposed Election Laws

Proposals to change election laws are being made at the state and federal levels. Existing laws are being challenged in state and federal courts. How could these changes affect people of color and those with disabilities? Our panelists will address the proposed changes, recent court decisions, and the effect on voters.

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin believes that voting is a fundamental citizen right that must be guaranteed. Wisconsin election laws should provide citizens with maximum opportunity for registration, voting at the polls, and absentee voting. Election administration should be adequately coordinated and funded to achieve statewide standards uniformly applied, verifiable results and local municipal effectiveness.

In the last Wisconsin Legislative Session, several bills were passed which would have made voting more difficult; all of those bills were vetoed by the Governor. For example, one bill would have required voters to present a photo ID each time they request an absentee ballot. Under current law, voters only have to show an ID the first time they request an absentee ballot.

There are recent decisions in federal and state courts regarding the right of disabled voters to have assistance in submitting their ballots and prohibiting election clerks from filling in missing information on witness certification envelopes that contain absentee ballots. Both decisions are on appeal.

On the federal level, bills are pending to improve election administration and strengthen provisions of the Voting Rights Act which were limited by the Supreme Court. One bill would expand voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting) and to limit removing voters from voter rolls and would require states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting.

The U.S. Supreme Court will address election issues in its next session, including a case which could allow state legislatures to determine election outcomes.

This forum will be live-streamed online. Audience questions and thoughts will be welcome.

LWV Dane County forums are free and open to the public but registration is required to participate in the webinar.

OUR SPEAKERS

Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights Wisconsin

Barbara Beckert is Director of External Advocacy, and Milwaukee Office Director, for Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW), the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy system for Wisconsin. She leads DRW’s Protection and Advocacy for Voting Access activities to protect the voting rights of people with disabilities. Barbara coordinates the Wisconsin Disability Vote Coalition, in partnership with the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD). She coordinates DRW’s public policy work and is involved with systems advocacy on a range of issues including Medicaid, long-term care, mental health, children’s services, justice reform, transportation, and voting.

Barry Burden, UW Elections Research Center

Barry Burden is a Professor of Political Science, Director of the Elections Research Center, and the Lyons Family Chair in Electoral Politics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Burden's research and teaching focus on U.S. elections, public opinion, representation, and the U.S. Congress. His recent research examines aspects of election administration and voter participation.

Burden earned his Ph.D. at The Ohio State University and was a faculty member at Harvard University before joining UW–Madison in 2006. He is affiliated with the La Follette School of Public Affairs, the School of Journalism & Mass Communication, and the Center for Demography of Health and Aging. He has appeared as an expert witness in multiple court cases and legislative hearings concerning changes to election laws and practices.

Greg Jones, President, NAACP Dane County Branch #36AB

Greg Jones, a native of Laurel, Mississippi, received an undergraduate degree in political science and a graduate degree in education from UW–Eau Claire. Throughout his professional career, he has held positions in higher education and Wisconsin state government. The majority of his career was spent working for the State of Wisconsin for more than 35 years in a variety of management and administrative positions across multiple state agencies, including the Office of the Governor.

Currently, he serves as President of the Dane County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and First Vice President of the NAACP Wisconsin State Conference. The NAACP is the largest and most preeminent civil rights organization in the nation. Its mission is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights for all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.

Andrea Kaminski (Moderator), LWVDC member, member of the LWVWI Legislative Committee, and former LWVWI State League Executive Director