- STATE VOTERS IN TUESDAY'S SPRING PRIMARY ELECTION NARROWED
THE STATE SUPREME COURT FIELD DOWN TO TWO.
SAUK COUNTY JUDGE MICHAEL SCRENOCK TALLIED 46% OF THE
VOTE, FOLLOWED BY MILWAUKEE COUNTY JUDGE REBECCA DALLET,
WHO GARNERED 36%.
MADISON ATTORNEY TIM BURNS WAS ELIMINATED FROM THE RACE WITH
18%.
CANDIDATES SCRENOCK AND DALLET HAVE COMMITTED TO A DEBATE ON
FRIDAY NIGHT, MARCH 30 IN A LIVE BROADCAST COSPONSORED BY
WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION AND WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO.
TUESDAY'S SPRING ELECTION TURNOUT WAS ABOVE AVERAGE.
NEARLY 12% OF VOTING AGED RESIDENTS PUSHED THROUGH BAD
WEATHER TO CAST THEIR BALLOTS.
THERE WERE A FEW SNAGS HOWEVER, INCLUDING REPORTS OF VOTERS
WHOSE NAMES WERE ERRONEOUSLY PURGED
FROM THE REGISTRATION ROLLS.
THAT AFTER STATE ELECTIONS OFFICIALS SENT 343,000 POSTCARDS
TO VOTERS IN NOVEMBER BECAUSE THEY WERE
THOUGHT TO HAVE MOVED.
IF RECIPIENTS OF THE CARDS DID NOT RESPOND,
THEY WERE DEACTIVATED FROM THE VOTING ROLLS.
NOW TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS,
WE ARE JOINED BY WISCONSIN ELECTIONS COMMISSION PUBLIC
INFORMATION OFFICER REID MAGNEY.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE. - YOU'RE WELCOME.
- HOW MANY VOTERS HAVE YOU DETERMINED WERE INACCURATELY
REMOVED FROM THE VOTING ROLLS?
- AT THIS POINT WE'VE ONLY HEARD FROM LESS THAN 20 PEOPLE.
WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE IF THIS HAPPENED TO YOU,
PLEASE CONTACT US.
WE'VE FOUND THAT THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY DID MOVE AND
THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD TO RE-REGISTER
AND THEY IGNORED THE POSTCARD.
OR WE'VE ACTUALLY FOUND A COUPLE OF PEOPLE WHO WERE ERRONEOUSLY
MARKED DEAD, IN A DIFFERENT SORT OF THING, DIFFERENT ISSUE.
SO WE REALLY WANT TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE.
WE REALLY WANT TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT.
- AND DID IT REALLY MOSTLY HAVE TO DO WITH PEOPLE JUST NOT
RESPONDING TO THOSE POSTCARDS?
- WELL, IT COULD HAVE BEEN THAT.
IT COULD HAVE ALSO HAD TO DO WITH THE WAY WE MATCH DATA.
SOMETIMES THE DMV HAS INFORMATION BASED ON THEIR
ADDRESS ONE WAY AND WE MIGHT HAVE IT
IN THE VOTER RECORDS ANOTHER WAY.
AND WE'RE -- THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE DONE
THIS KIND OF A MATCH.
AND SO I THINK WE'RE LEARNING FROM IT.
WE REALLY WANT TO TAKE STEPS TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING LIKE THIS
HAPPENS IN APRIL OR AUGUST OR NOVEMBER.
- AND HOW DO YOU INTEND TO DO THAT?
WHAT KIND OF CHANGES ARE YOU ANTICIPATING?
- WELL, AGAIN, WE WANT TO LEARN FROM WHAT HAPPENED.
WE ARE LOOKING AT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS.
WE'RE PLANNING TO PRESENT A PLAN TO THE COMMISSION ON MARCH 13.
- YOU SAID THAT IT WAS A SMALL NUMBER THAT YOU KNOW OF
RIGHT NOW. - RIGHT.
- YOUR EXPECTATION IS THAT PERHAPS THERE WERE OTHER PEOPLE
OUT THERE THAT HAD HAPPENED TO. - YES.
- BUT IT WAS STATEWIDE, RIGHT? - YES.
THIS WAS NOT TARGETED TO ANY ONE PARTICULAR AREA.
NOT TARGETED AT WHO PEOPLE SUPPORT.
WE'VE HEARD SOME PEOPLE WONDERING,
"ARE THEY TRYING TO GET RID OF CERTAIN TYPES OF VOTERS?"
THAT'S NOT HOW THE WISCONSIN ELECTIONS COMMISSION DOES BUSINESS.
THE COMMISSION IS BIPARTISAN.
THE STAFF IS NONPARTISAN.
WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
ARE REGISTERED AND ARE VOTING.
- SO WHAT HAPPENED TO VOTERS WHO WENT TO THE POLLS AND THEIR
NAMES WEREN'T ON THERE?
- SO BASICALLY THEY HAD TO RE-REGISTER.
SO FAR WE'RE NOT UNAWARE OF ANYONE
WHO WAS UNABLE TO RE-REGISTER.
YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE PROOF OF RESIDENCE.
I THINK I'VE HEARD OF A COUPLE PEOPLE WHO MAYBE HAD TO GO BACK
HOME AND GET THAT-- WHETHER IT'S A UTILITY BILL
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WE APOLOGIZE FOR THOSE KIND OF PROBLEMS IF THAT HAPPENED.
BUT WE'RE NOT AWARE OF ANYONE WHO WAS UNABLE TO VOTE.
- WHY DID THE STATE UNDERTAKE THIS ENDEAVOR OF CLEANING UP
THESE VOTER ROLLS?
- SO IN 2016 WE JOINED SOMETHING CALLED ERIC,
THE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION INFORMATION CENTER.
IT'S A CONSORTIUM OF MORE THAN 20 STATES THAT SHARE DATA AND
WORK WITH THEM TO REALLY HELP FIRST TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE
WHO AREN'T REGISTERED GET REGISTERED AND THEN TO MAKE SURE
THAT OUR VOTER ROLLS ARE ACCURATE.
IN 2016 WE SENT OUT MORE THAN A MILLION POSTCARDS TO PEOPLE WHO
WE THOUGHT WERE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE BUT NOT REGISTERED.
WE REALLY WANT TO GET PEOPLE REGISTERED.
THE SECOND PART OF THAT IS LOOKING AT OKAY,
WHO'S MAYBE MOVED AND NEEDS TO REGISTER BECAUSE IF YOU MOVE
EVEN IF YOU LIVE IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING AND YOU MOVE FROM
APARTMENT A TO APARTMENT B, YOU NEED TO RE-REGISTER.
AND SOME PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT.
- YET, AGAIN, IN WISCONSIN
YOU CAN REGISTER SAME DAY AS YOU VOTE.
- YES, THAT'S THE FAIL-SAFE IN WISCONSIN.
THAT'S WHY WE FELT COMFORTABLE DOING IT.
NOW, WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY RUNS INTO
THIS PROBLEM GOING FORWARD.
- ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE'RE COMING INTO A GENERAL ELECTION
WHERE TURNOUT COULD BE MUCH, MUCH HIGHER.
- RIGHT.
INSTEAD OF 12%, WE'RE LOOKING IN NOVEMBER 50% TO 55%.
- WHILE WE HAVE YOU HERE, WE JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU THE
STATUS OF THE ELECTIONS COMMISSIONER MICHAEL HAAS.
- WE'RE HAVING A SPECIAL MEETING NEXT FRIDAY, MARCH 2,
AT WHICH THE COMMISSION IS GOING TO ADDRESS THAT.
THERE'S NOT A LOT I CAN SAY RIGHT NOW.
BUT STAY TUNED FOR THAT.
- ALL RIGHT.
REID MAGNEY, THANKS VERY MUCH.
- YOU'RE WELCOME.