1 Voter Registration Elections Board Legislative Audit Bureau October 2005
2 Voter Registration Overview u Voter registration is currently required in 172 municipalities with populations over 5,000 u Another 167 smaller municipalities require voter registration by local ordinance u Voter registration will be required statewide January 2006
3 Municipalities Reviewed u Surveyed 172 municipalities required to register voters u Conducted a detailed review of 9 municipalities
4 Voter Registration Methods
5 Address Verification Cards Sent
6 Undeliverable Cards
7 Maintaining Voter Registration Lists u 85.3 percent of municipalities removed inactive voters from lists u 71.4 percent sometimes or always notified voters before removing them from lists u 54.0 percent removed the names of ineligible felons u None of the municipalities interviewed verified citizenship
8 Voter Registration List Inaccuracies u Lists included duplicate records, ineligible felons, and deceased individuals u 105 potential voting irregularities require further investigation, including ineligible felons who may have voted
9 Elections Board Recommendations u Specify procedures for appointing and training special registration deputies u Send address verification cards in a timely and consistent manner u Revise the voter registration form to notify ineligible felons that they cannot vote u Automate procedures to detect improper registrations u Provide training to municipal clerks
10 Options for Legislature u More stringent requirements for special registration deputies u Uniform proof-of-residence requirements for all registrants u Deadline for mailing address verification cards u Mandatory training for municipal clerks u Civil penalties for election law violations
11 Other Factors u Help America Vote Act u Computerized statewide voter registration system delays u Joint Legislative Council Study Committee recommendations u City of Milwaukee investigation u Future audit work
12 Voter Registration Elections Board Legislative Audit Bureau October 2005