‘Encouraging the Students to Vote’ by Actually Giving Them an Early Voting Location Wouldn’t Benefit the City, the Clerk Claimed
A city clerk has claimed that the city did not open an early voting location at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (UWGB) due to financial and time constraints, but in an exclusive report at The Nation it seems another reason was behind the decision.
“UWGB is a polling location for students and residents on Election Day but I feel by asking for this to be the site for early voting is encouraging the students to vote more than benefiting the city as a whole,†City Clerk Kris Teske, who The Nation describes as “an appointee of Republican Mayor Jim Schmitt, a close ally of Governor Scott Walker,” wrote in an e-mail obtained by One Wisconsin Institute.
“I have heard it said that students lean more toward the democrats…. I have spoken with our Chief of Staff and others at City Hall and they agree that budget wise this isn’t going to happen. Do I have an argument about it being more of a benefit to the democrats?â€
If you’re thinking this is an isolated incident, read on.
“Republicans have been explicit about suppressing Democratic-leaning votes, including those from students, to win elections,” The Nation explains.
Former Republican state senator Glenn Grothman, now a U.S. Congressman, “who sponsored the cuts to early voting, said that Republicans would carry the state in November because ‘now we have photo ID.’ When Republicans debated the voter-ID law behind closed doors in April 2011, GOP State Senator Mary Lazich argued in favor of the measure by saying, ‘We’ve got to think about what this could mean for the neighborhoods around Milwaukee and the college campuses around the state.'”
In April lines during the Wisconsin presidential primary at UWGB were up to two hours long, as the WBAY video above shows.
The excellent report at The Nation by Ari Berman is a must-read.
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Image: Screenshot via WBAY