Lipscomb Proposal to Double Resources for Voter Registration and Education Adopted

MILWAUKEE – The Board of Supervisors adopted (14-3) a proposal from Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr., today to double funding for voter registration and education efforts in the wake of recent attempts to purge approximately 200,000 Wisconsin voters from election rolls.

“We must do everything we can to protect the right to vote, especially in the wake of ongoing voter suppression efforts in Wisconsin. With these additional funds we can help ensure voters know their rights and are registered to vote,” said Lipscomb.

The potential purge and the confusion it could create led Lipscomb to propose boosting previously planned efforts – budgeted at $50,000 – with an additional $50,000.

In advance of the 2020 elections, the Milwaukee County Election Commission was already planning to reprise its 2016 “Bring It to the Ballot” voter participation and education effort.

That campaign communicated registration requirements via advertisements on county buses and bus shelters, in movie theaters, local newspapers, and on broadcast radio.

Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee are also already collaborating on the placement of voter registration kiosks at public facilities throughout the county, including Milwaukee City Hall, all City of Milwaukee public libraries, all County senior centers, some suburban public libraries, and in the jury management room at the County Courthouse, among other locations.

Potential voters can use the kiosks to print registration forms and receive instructions on how to submit the required documents and register to vote.

Lipscomb’s resolution also directs the Milwaukee County Election Commission to report to the Board of Supervisors in advance of the 2020 elections about additional efforts that could be made to improve voter registration and education.

Additional measures could include direct mailings to potentially purged voters with instructions on how to update their voter status, additional voter registration kiosks, partnerships with voter outreach groups, and voter registration drives.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.