Look closer at online voter registration bill

At first glance, a bill that would allow online voter registration seems like good legislation. A closer look proves otherwise. The bill would allow eligible voters with driver’s licenses or state-issued IDs to register to vote via computer. If passed, Wisconsin would join 25 other states in allowing online voter registration. We like the idea of online registration, because in theory it makes the process easier, and we support any legislation that gets more people registered and to the polls. But this legislation doesn’t make the process easier for those most likely to use it. It would not allow those whose driver’s licenses don’t match their current address to register online. That means college students, the group most likely to need to register to vote, would not be able to register online. The bill, the subject of a public hearing in Madison yesterday, also calls for the elimination of special registration deputies. These are volunteers, often associated with the League of Women Voters, who are trained by their local clerk’s office, canvas neighborhoods to reach out to senior citizens and the low income and help them register to vote. These special deputies are concerned citizens who want to help make voting accessible to all who are eligible. It makes no sense to eliminate them. The bill also would shorten the time when absentee ballots would be accepted. On the surface, this bill might seem to make it easier for people to register to vote. Turns out, this bill does just the opposite.