A Scott Walker smackdown!! Wisconsin's Voting Laws Struck Down

[riversedge]

Wisconsin's Voting Laws Struck Down

http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/08/wisconsin-voting-ruling/493766/

A federal judge ruled Friday the state's voter-ID law and other restrictions violated the Constitution.



Matt Ford


Aug 1, 2016 News

NEWS BRIEF A federal district court struck down a series of voting restrictions in Wisconsin on Friday, marking the third major victory for voting-rights advocates this month.

In his 119-page ruling, federal judge James Peterson framed the state legislature’s efforts to enact strict voter-ID laws as an overreaction to the perceived threat.

“The Wisconsin experience demonstrates that a preoccupation with mostly phantom election fraud leads to real incidents of disenfranchisement, which undermine rather than enhance confidence in elections, particularly in minority communities,” he wrote. “To put it bluntly, Wisconsin’s strict version of voter ID law is a cure worse than the disease.”

Among the restrictions blocked were requirements that each city only have one polling place for early voting, an extended residency requirement for city wards, and strict rules governing what can be used as voter ID.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has more:..................




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The Wisconsin State Capitol Building in February 2011. Darren Hauck / Reuters

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Good for that Federal Court Judge!

These "laws" are nothing more than a blatant attempt to disenfranchise Democrats.

[dgauss]

4. I was a juror in Judge Peterson's court earlier this year for a civil trial.

I was greatly impressed with this guy. My overall feeling after that trial was something like "I'm glad to know there are people like that in the judicial system."

When I saw he would be trying the Voter ID laws I had a good feeling about the outcome. I don't know anything about Peterson's political views (although I would guess somewhat liberal simply because that's what I always guess about someone I don't really know but who strikes me as intelligent and fair..), but I thought he would be honest.

And this quote I like - it simply and directly sums up the situation that has been obvious to many for a long time:

“The Wisconsin experience demonstrates that a preoccupation with mostly phantom election fraud leads to real incidents of disenfranchisement, which undermine rather than enhance confidence in elections, particularly in minority communities,”

Thank you Judge Peterson!

[riversedge]

6. "phantom election fraud"--great phase.

[dgauss]

7. yeah, he called it out true there. Walker has been a mystifying disaster -

how could this guy be governor?! But this ruling is a little bit of sanity, a bright spot, something encouraging. Now let's get Russ back in office.

[progressoid]

2. Rec!

[dubyadiprecession]

3. awww! voter suppression was his passion!

Keeping the will of the people down was what kept him going. Scott must be very frustrated now.

[nikto]

5. Wow. To think ...

Living in a Republic with Democratic rights, who would think
we actually have the right to vote.

GOP doesn't.


Citizen-voting ---- What a concept!



IMO, we should all push for 2 things:

1. PAPER ballots, hand-counted in all national elections (no computers used to tabulate).

2. An end to control over voting in each state by the dominant party in that state.
Voting (at least in national elections) should be standardized and vote-counting run transparently by BOTH parties and
monitored by CITIZEN'S WATCHDOG GROUPS on both sides of the electorate.

I mean, duh.




(For more info, go see The Bradblog and Bradcast. ).

[riversedge]

8. judge rules parts of #WI #voterID law & restrictions on early/weekend voting are unconstitutional.

Tweet
SiX ?@stateinnovation Aug 1

ICYMI: Federal judge rules parts of #WI #voterID law & restrictions on early/weekend voting are unconstitutional.