MADISON, WI – The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board’s five-year, $17.3 million plan for state elections was approved Tuesday, October 13, by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance.

Kevin Kennedy, director and general counsel of the G.A.B., said JCF approval enables the agency to accept almost $4 million in federal funds through the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). It also allows the G.A.B. to continue funding election administration initiatives that will continue to improve Wisconsin’s nationally recognized approach to conducting fair, transparent elections.

The 2009-2014 Election Administration Plan is designed to upgrade and modernize elections over the next five years, and is required under HAVA. It responds to requests for change from the G.A.B.’s customers (voters) and partners (clerks). While many of the plan’s goals will affect how clerks do their jobs, it also includes calls to study several proposed changes in the way people will be able to vote, including:

• early voting/streamlined absentee voting
• improvements to polling places
• improving voter registration efficiency, including online registration
• expanding voting methods, including by mail, phone and Internet
• changing primary election dates.

Many of the election changes to be explored during five-year plan would have to be approved by the Legislature and Governor. The entire plan is available online at: http://elections.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=17254&locid=47.

Nathaniel E. Robinson, elections division administrator, said that prior to JCF approval, the visionary and ambitious plan was thoroughly scrutinized and improved by members of the public and election officials.

“That invaluable input helped us craft a plan which reflects Wisconsin’s continued commitment to conducting elections in ways that produce public confidence in the results,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy pledged to keep the public involved. “As we move forward with implementation of the plan, our staff will continue to involve local election officials and members of the public in the development of initiatives to improve the administration of Wisconsin elections,” Kennedy said.

The plan is now being submitted to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, which administers HAVA funds. The Chair of the U.S. EAC, Gineen Beach, is scheduled to visit the G.A.B. offices on October 19 and 20 to meet with the agency staff, state government officials and local election officials, and to discuss the five-year plan.

MADISON, WI – The Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) is providing funds to Wisconsin counties and municipalities to improve the reporting of election data and results, the G.A.B. announced Wednesday.

More than $500,000 will be distributed to local election officials for gathering, reporting and inputting election data into a new statewide reporting system. The payments are being made to local governments per “reporting unit” – usually the municipal ward.

“This is a change that will improve the speed and reliability of election results in Wisconsin,” said Kevin Kennedy, G.A.B. Director. “But it is also another change for local clerks to get used to, so we are happy to provide financial assistance.”

Checks are now being sent to municipal clerks for reporting the November 4, 2008 election results in a new format. After the April 7 Spring Election, funds will also be sent to county clerks, many of whom will enter data into a new online reporting system.

The Elections Division of the G.A.B. was one of five states to receive a U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) grant in May of last year, designed to improve the reporting of election results across the nation. The EAC awarded $2 million to Wisconsin.

The EAC funds are being used in Wisconsin to improve election business practices, such as standardizing the reporting of the official election canvass, enhancing the capacity of absentee voter tracking in the Statewide Voter Registration System, creating new online classes for clerks to make training more convenient, and analyzing polling place practices to improve voters’ Election Day experience.

The EAC has developed a lengthy survey regarding election activity, and the G.A.B. has committed to providing answers about every municipality in Wisconsin.

“Elections Division staff recently reviewed the new reporting system with the Wisconsin County Clerks Association,” said Elections Division Administrator Nat Robinson. “They praised the system and are enthusiastic about what it will do for Wisconsin.”

The April 7 Spring Election in Wisconsin will serve as the pilot-run for the state’s new system and the progress of that system will be reviewed tomorrow by a federal evaluator.

“We are pleased to report our progress to the federal government and looking forward to feedback for improvement of the new data reporting system before it is tested in April,” said Nat Robinson, Elections Division Administrator.

The evaluator – Dr. Diana Davis of ICF International in Fairfax, Virginia – will spend Thursday with a group of Wisconsin county and municipal clerks and Elections Division staff reviewing the new system and the requirements local election official will follow in submitting election results.

“We believe the finished product will not only improve the speed and reliability of election results in Wisconsin,” Robinson said. “This model will also be available to other states with extremely decentralized election administration like Wisconsin.”

MADISON, WI – Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) will conclude its first year with a substantial set of achievements in the areas of elections, ethics, campaign finance and lobbying.

“While 2008 has passed quickly, the Board has worked hard and acted in a timely manner on a wide-ranging agenda,” said Kevin Kennedy, G.A.B. Director and General Counsel. “Wisconsin citizens can be assured that the new board and agency are acting to address important public policy concerns.”

Kennedy listed the following major accomplishments for 2008. The Board and its staff: 

• Carried out four statewide elections in a smooth, efficient, transparent manner, reinforcing Wisconsin’s reputation for fair and impartial elections. (Wisconsin had the second highest rate of voter turnout in the country for the November 4 election.)
• Created the state’s new Campaign Finance Information System (CFIS), which will make considerably more information available to the public about political contributions in Wisconsin.
•  Trained a large number and wide variety of stakeholders, including municipal clerks, campaign finance registrants, statewide Special Registration Deputies, and new Chief Election Inspectors, and launched a new Web-Based Election Training System.
•  Voted to amend a state administrative rule to redefine the political purpose of the unregulated, so-called “issue ads” now used in Wisconsin political campaigns, as part of its statutorily mandated review of former Elections Board rules.
• Achieved compliance with the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) by completing important parts of the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS), including data interfaces with other Wisconsin state agencies, and launched the Voter Public Access (VPA) website to provide the public with voter registration and polling place information.
• Barred the use of “blind trusts” by state public officials, requiring them to reveal their investments.
• Completed almost all of the work required by the State Legislature for a 12-month review of all former administrative rules, formal opinions, guidelines and internal operating procedures of the former Elections and Ethics boards.
• Organized the new Government Accountability Board and staff.

“When one compares the amount and scope of our work with the size of our Board and staff, it is clear we have accomplished a lot,” Kennedy said. “It’s been a busy year.”

The G.A.B. also implemented a new rule governing election observers in Wisconsin, and is in the midst of carrying out a study to improve the reporting of election data with a $2 million grant from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, Kennedy said. In addition, the agency processed 2596 statements of economic interest for Wisconsin’s state public officials, tracked 697 lobbying organizations, and reviewed nomination papers for 450 candidates for state and federal office.

G.A.B. goals for 2009 include vigorous enforcement of campaign finance, elections, ethics and lobbying laws, implementation of a legislative agenda to improve core agency responsibilities, and expansion of training for agency clientele.

Another G.A.B. goal will be accomplished very soon: Combining its 40-person staff in one office headquarters near the State Capitol so that the public, election officials, state legislators and lobbyists can access all agency services in one location.

“We hope to be greeting visitors in a new, central office by the beginning of February,” Kennedy said. “Our new headquarters will include space for Board meetings and make ‘one-stop-shopping’ easier for our regular clients.”

The move to new office space will soon be formally announced, Kennedy said. The agency’s current telephone numbers and e-mail addresses will not change.

MADISON, WI – Wisconsin’s Elections Division Tuesday announced to local election officials across the state that voter registration system interfaces linking voter data with death, felony and driver’s license records are now functioning.

State election officials can now cross-check voter data with records from the Departments of Transportation, Corrections and Health Services to ensure the accuracy of voter records in the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS). In addition, Wisconsin is now compliant with federal law which requires that local clerks be able to verify specific voter information.

“We have jumped another hurdle as we prepare for an important fall election cycle,” said Kevin Kennedy, director of the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.). “Clerks can now use the SVRS to help verify voter information and better ensure the trustworthiness of Wisconsin’s elections.”

Since late June, on-line training has been available to local election officials who wanted to prepare to use the data interfaces. Those interfaces allow election officials to check a driver license number used on a voter registration form against Wisconsin Department of Transportation records, for example.

“As with any new computer functionality, there will be a trial period that will require some corrections to the system,” said Nat Robinson, Elections Division Administrator. “We are prepared to deal with any bugs our local election officials may find and respond accordingly.”

Since 2006, the State has provided local election officials with lists of state residents currently serving felony sentences and deceased Wisconsinites to allow cross-checking with local voter lists. Now, however, those officials will be able to conduct an automatic check inside the SVRS, saving time and increasing efficiency and accuracy.

Elections Division staff are also available to local election official to answer questions about how the data cross-checking in the SVRS works. New data, such as updated death records and felon files, will be loaded into the system on a monthly basis.

“Our partners at the state Department of Administration, Division of Enterprise Technology -- especially Oskar Anderson and Herb Thompson -- deserves credit for making this work,” Robinson said. “This has been a cooperative effort to serve Wisconsin’s citizens and make sure we comply with federal law.”

For the September 9 statewide partisan primary election and the November 4 general election, local election officials will now be able to check any new voter registration entered into the SVRS with data that shows who is serving a felony conviction and who has died recently in Wisconsin. If the data shows a probable match, the municipal or county clerk can then investigate the voter data further to make sure no one who is ineligible to vote is on the poll list.

The Elections Division is now preparing a statement to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission from G.A.B. Director Kevin Kennedy certifying that the SVRS complies with the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).

MADISON, WI – In response to a lawsuit filed Wednesday against the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.), G.A.B. Director and General Counsel Kevin Kennedy issued the following statement:

“Attorney General Van Hollen has advised the Board that he has filed a lawsuit about a recent decision of the Board concerning the use of a new cross-checking tool developed for its Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS).

“The SVRS has been in place and used effectively for seven statewide elections since 2006. The Board began using the new cross-checking feature in August 2008. At two public meetings in July and August, G.A.B. members considered a request from the Republican Party of Wisconsin to cross-check the data of all Wisconsin voters entered into the SVRS since January 2006.

“The Republican Party asked that all voters whose records did not match Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) records be required to provide proof of residence at the polling place or to vote on a provisional ballot.

“The Attorney General has asked the court to compel the Board to adopt that position. Neither state nor federal law specifies what must be done with information gathered from the cross-checking function.

“The Board heard testimony from a number of individuals, and carefully considered the issues presented. The Board voted to continue its practice of requiring all new voter registration applications entered into the SVRS to be cross-checked against DOT records, but not to require a retroactive cross-check of individuals who had registered and voted in previous elections.

“In its deliberations, the Board was concerned about preliminary data that showed more than a fifth of voters’ data mismatched due to variations in names, differing data entry standards, or typographical errors. A check conducted of G.A.B. members’ data resulted in four of six Board members’ information mis-matching.

“The Board is committed to properly protecting the electoral process from potential fraud. At the same time, the Board is equally committed to protecting the right of every eligible person to vote in Wisconsin, and that every valid vote must be counted.

“The Board balanced these two fundamental concerns and concluded that it is in the best interest of the citizens of this state to continue its cross-checking efforts until the entire voter database is as accurate as possible.

“The Board believes it would be counter-productive to rush this effort and to create a significant risk, at best, of unnecessary hardship and confusion at the polls, and at worst, the disenfranchisement of Wisconsin citizens with a clear and legitimate right to vote.”

MADISON, WI – On Tuesday, November 11, during its regular meeting, the Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) unanimously directed staff to develop a protocol, including standards and a timeline for local elections officials to cross-check voter records in the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) with state Department of Transportation (DOT) data.

During its August 27, 2008, meeting, the Board determined that local election officials must commence HAVA-Checks effective August 6, 2008, but not before this date. The six-member Board of former judges ruled that a mismatch of voter information contained in the Statewide Voter Registration System (SVRS) with Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) data, in and of itself, shall not result in disqualification of a voter.

The Board’s decision prevented potentially thousands of Wisconsin voters from being disenfranchised from voting on November 4, solely because the spelling of the voter’s name was not exactly the same in the DOT database and the SVRS database.

In its August 27 decision, the Board said that it would revisit its action after the fall election, at which time a process for updating the SVRS database would be determined, after gathering facts and statistics on the number of voters affected by the inability of two different computer databases (SVRS and DOT) to match voter information. The August 27 ruling directed staff to gather facts and prepare a report analyzing the non-matches between August 6 and the General Election, for the Board’s consideration.

On Tuesday, the Board reiterated its August 27 order by directing staff to develop a recommendation for providing guidance to local clerks for the implementation of retroactive HAVA Checks.

“Since being directed by the Board at its August 27 meeting, it has been our intention to work with our local election partners after the General Election to identify a protocol that ensures consistency and standards for cross-checking all voters in SVRS with DOT records,” according to Kevin Kennedy, G.A.B.’s Director and General Counsel, and Wisconsin’s Chief Election Officer.

“First though” Kennedy continued, “we must gather and analyze the facts and base a recommendation on how to proceed on facts – not perceptions. The Board has followed through on its intent enunciated at its August meeting.”

“Any plan for retroactive cross-checking of voter records must be carried out in a uniform manner using straightforward criteria,” said Nat Robinson, Elections Division Administrator. “This will be an important undertaking that requires that we do it right, rather than doing it quickly.”

Since August 6, municipal clerks have been cross-checking new voter registrations in Wisconsin against DOT driver’s license records. The Board’s action to reaffirm its August 27 decision will ensure that new and reregistered voters who were put into the system since January 2006 and before August 6, 2008, will also have their data cross-checked.

“The Board will review a staff recommendation at or before its January 2009 meeting.

“In the end, improved voter data quality is the goal,” said Kennedy. “The ultimate goal is to make sure the voter records in the SVRS are as accurate as practicable.”

In the meantime, voters with questions about their registration data can contact their municipal clerk’s office, or check online at https://vpa.wi.gov, the Elections Division’s Voter Public Access site.

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board’s five-year, $17.3 million plan for state elections was approved Tuesday, October 13, 2009 by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance.

Kevin Kennedy, director and general counsel of the G.A.B., said JCF approval enables the agency to accept almost $4 million in federal funds through the Help America Vote Act (HAVA). It also allows the G.A.B. to continue funding election administration initiatives that will continue to improve Wisconsin’s nationally recognized approach to conducting fair, transparent elections.

The 2009-2014 Election Administration Plan is designed to upgrade and modernize elections over the next five years, and is required under HAVA. It responds to requests for change from the G.A.B.’s customers (voters) and partners (clerks). While many of the plan’s goals will affect how clerks do their jobs, it also includes calls to study several proposed changes in the way people will be able to vote, including:

• early voting/streamlined absentee voting
• improvements to polling places
• improving voter registration efficiency, including online registration
• expanding voting methods, including by mail, phone and Internet
• changing primary election dates.

Many of the election changes to be explored during five-year plan would have to be approved by the Legislature and Governor. The entire plan is attached below.

Nathaniel E. Robinson, elections division administrator, said that prior to JCF approval, the visionary and ambitious plan was thoroughly scrutinized and improved by members of the public and election officials.

“That invaluable input helped us craft a plan which reflects Wisconsin’s continued commitment to conducting elections in ways that produce public confidence in the results,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy pledged to keep the public involved. “As we move forward with implementation of the plan, our staff will continue to involve local election officials and members of the public in the development of initiatives to improve the administration of Wisconsin elections,” Kennedy said.

The plan has been accepted by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, which administers HAVA funds.