Wisconsin Group Proposes Plan to Enforce Voting Rights Amendment

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) has released a report outlining a five-point plan to ensure that only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in Wisconsin elections. This initiative follows the ratification of a constitutional amendment in 2024, which was approved by 71% of voters and mandates that only eligible citizens may cast ballots in the state.

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The report, titled "The Will of the People: A Roadmap to Enforce Wisconsin’s Citizenship Voting Amendment," aims to provide state officials with a framework for auditing voter rolls. The authors, Will Flanders and Nathalie Burmeister, emphasize the importance of election integrity, stating, "The integrity of our elections is non-negotiable. We need transparent, secure processes to ensure that every individual who is eligible to vote is permitted to do so."

The first step in the proposed plan involves comparing the state’s voter registration list with the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) databases, which reportedly include nearly 300,000 noncitizens who have been issued driver’s licenses or state ID cards. The authors suggest that this comparison will help identify any noncitizens who may be registered to vote.

Following this initial step, the report recommends that Wisconsin officials verify the immigration status of identified noncitizens using the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. This method is similar to strategies employed in Iowa to remove noncitizens from voter rolls.

Flanders and Burmeister also advocate for a thorough verification process to eliminate potential errors in the data matching. They propose notifying individuals identified as non-citizens and allowing them to correct any inaccuracies before the Wisconsin Elections Commission removes them from the voter registration list.

The report notes that the authority to conduct such audits lies with the executive branch, specifically with Governor Tony Evers. If the governor does not act, the authors recommend that the Republican-controlled state legislature take on the responsibility of implementing the audit and reporting the findings to the public.

In addition, the authors suggest that the legislature consider codifying the audit process into state law. They argue that the adoption of the 2024 Constitutional Amendment presents an opportunity to enhance public trust in the electoral process by verifying voter eligibility.

Flanders and Burmeister conclude, "Conducting a thorough audit of the statewide voter registration list, using existing tools and safeguards, will promote transparency, address legitimate concerns, and help prevent unlawful votes from diluting the voice of lawful voters."

Supporters of the amendment and the proposed audit plan argue that these measures are necessary to uphold the integrity of elections. Critics, however, have raised concerns about the potential for voter suppression and the implications of targeting specific groups based on immigration status.

As Wisconsin prepares for future elections, the implementation of this five-point plan could play a significant role in shaping the state's approach to voter registration and election integrity.