Discrepancies in personal information between voter registration forms and other databases cannot be used to disqualify citizens from voting, Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board confirmed recently.
Mismatching voter information will continue to be flagged for investigation by the local clerks but will not be used as a basis for disqualifying voters, according to Dane County Clerk Robert Ohlsen.
We look at the original application and see if something was entered wrong, and then if it isn't [from] our office, we send a letter to the local clerk telling them there's a problem with this and that they should check it out,"" Ohlsen said.
An Aug. 27 ruling by the GAB confirmed the current practice regarding voter registration discrepancies, according to Kyle Richmond, GAB public information officer.
Richmond said the statement was made in response to a letter Milwaukee Election Commissioner Sue Edman sent to the elections board asking whether voters can be challenged on the basis of mismatched information.
""It was to clarify who can be challenged at the polls and on what basis,"" Richmond said.
Richmond declined to comment on the relation between this clarification and Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen's lawsuit against the GAB aiming to require information checks for anyone who registered to vote since 2006.
