Posted on Tuesday, 20th April 2010 by Glenn D. Frankovis
My State Senator is Tim Carpenter. The following is his written response to my inquiry of him regarding SB640 and AB649/SB450. The first paragraph of his letter is thanking me for my input and won’t be quoted.
“I take very seriously having a free, open, and honest election process in Wisconsin. Whenever a bill that changes the administration of our elections comes to the floor of the Senate it raises a red flag. As you probably know, I have long been an active proponent of Voter ID, and am once again this legislative session a lead coauthor of a bill to institute Voter ID (SB199). I believe that Voter ID would be an important and necessary provision to help ensure that our elections are both accurate and secure.
After reviewing the proposed election updates in SB640, I am both disappointed and concerned. Although the election officials in Milwaukee and many other cities have informed me that reforms such as online registration would make their jobs easier, there are four basic problems that I have with the various provisions of SB640:
* SB640 does not include Voter ID. If this bill comes to the floor I have pledged to support a bipartisan amendment to include Voter ID.
* SB640, as originally drafted, only allows someone to challenge the legitimacy of a voter if they live in the same Ward. This is not acceptable. At the very least, someone from the same city should be able to challenge the legitimacy of a voter, if not the county.
* SB640 allows the government accountability board, which oversees our elections, to contract with non-government organizations to assist in voter registration. I have not heard any reason why this is necessary, and I am concerned about the possible release of voters’ personal and private information to unaccountable outside entities. If this bill comes to the floor, I will support an amendment to eliminate this provision.
* SB640 increases the penalty for voter intimidation, but does not increase the penalty for voter fraud; if this bill comes to the floor I will introduce an amendment that will increase the penalty for voter fraud commensurate to any increase in voter intimidation; and
If these four elements are not included in SB640, I cannot support it.
You have also contacted me about AB649/SB450, also known as the Clean Energy Jobs Act. When the bill was first introduced, I told my constituents that the bill would likely be amended and changed many times before it was voted on. I said that the two important things I would look at in deciding whether to vote for a final bill is whether the bill would create an overall increase in jobs, and protect consumers from rate hikes as a result of the provisions in this bill. Although the bill has been drastically watered down with amendments since it was originally introduced, I am still not convinced that passing this bill, as currently amended, would achieve these goals. Therefore, I will not be voting in favor of this bill.
I have listened to my constituents who have raised serious concerns about the approach Clean Energy Jobs bill takes with regards to our production and consumption of energy. I will continue to listen to my constituents, and make independent determinations regarding which bills would best serve needs of the Third Senate District.
As you may know, my determination to strongly advocate for the voters in my district has not always made me popular within my party. In fact, you may have heard that last week, in reaction to my determination to vote the wishes of my district, and not fall in line with the wishes of senate leadership, the Senate Majority Leader took the virtually unprecedented action of stripping me of my chairmanship of the committee on Public Health, Long Term Care, Senior Issues, and Job Creation.
The leadership can take away my committee chairmanship in the Senate, but they cannot silence me from advocating for the voters in my district.”
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April 21st, 2010 at 12:37 am
[...] to support it, Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker says he’s reluctant to support it, Senator Tim Carpenter says he’s reluctant to support it, and Senator Kathleen Vinehout is complaining there is not enough time to debate the [...]
April 21st, 2010 at 5:41 pm
I got the same letter regarding the voter fraud thing.
The fact that the dems had a temper tantrum and retaliated against Carpenter earns him some support.