Category Archives: News

Peter Mundt: Milwaukee voter offers father assistance

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Peter Mundt: Milwaukee voter offers father assistance

Peter Mundt joined his father at the polls in Milwaukee Tuesday. Photo by Tasha Khan/News21

Peter Mundt was helping his father complete a same-day registration form at Engleburg Elementary school in North Milwaukee when an election observer reported Mundt to the chief inspector.

The inspector asked why Mundt was helping his father; he explained that his father has difficulty reading and needed assistance.

The Wisconsin voter registration form allows assistance if those aiding voters provide a signature and address. Mundt signed the form, and his father was able to vote.

Mundt did not have a problem with the inspector’s question, he said.

“I was comfortable with it,” Mundt said. “I mean, they are there to do their job, to make sure the voting process is going correctly.”

By Tasha Khan, News21

Ruth Zubrensky: Wisconsin poll watcher finds no fraud

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Ruth Zubrensky: Wisconsin poll watcher finds no fraud

Ruth Zubrensky was a poll watcher Tuesday at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Photo by Tasha Khan/News21

Ruth Zubrensky, 84, sat quietly Tuesday near the back of the polling place in Sandburg Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she watched voters cast their ballots.

Zubrensky has been an election observer a half-dozen times in Wisconsin, she said, and she has never seen any fraudulent activity at the polls.

“Fraud is such a minimum, such a minimum,” she said.

Zubrensky took voter protection training offered by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

Unlike in many other states, Wisconsin observers are not required to register with a political party or a candidate. Observers must sign in with the senior election official and provide their name, address and organization, according to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board website.

By Tasha Khan, News21

Satra and Kenny Rembert: Milwaukee precinct mix up

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Satra and Kenny Rembert: Milwaukee precinct mix up

Satra and Kenny Rembert had trouble locating their Milwaukee precinct Tuesday. Photo by Tasha Khan/News21

Satra and Kenny Rembert intended to vote for Mayor Tom Barrett Tuesday at Engleburg Elementary school in North Milwaukee, but were unable to vote at the precinct because they were registered in another district three blocks away.

The Remberts said they were casting their vote for the city of Milwaukee and for their children.

“Our kids are suffering as well as poor people in the city,” Satra Rembert said.

By Tasha Khan, News21

Milwaukee election observers earn mixed reviews

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Gov. Scott Walker won by a comfortable margin Tuesday in Wisconsin’s recall election. The closely watched contest drew national attention, forecasts of a narrow race and predictions of a recount in balloting that highlighted the role of election observers.

Sometimes called poll watchers, election observers are associated with a candidate or a cause and are allowed to monitor polling activity. Observers Tuesday came from groups that included the League of Women Voters, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, We are Wisconsin, Wisconsin Jobs Now and True the Vote.

Jean McCoy-Garner, the top official at the Engleburg Elementary School polling location in north Milwaukee, said observers didn’t cause her many problems Tuesday.

“Sometimes I have to remind them of what they can and can’t do,” she said. “Ultimately they need to let people have the freedom to vote, and they can’t do certain things.”

Jamila Gatlin took exception with the official’s analysis, saying that she was offended by the three observers at the school.

“That’s pretty harassing if you ask me,” Gatlin said after she voted and left the school. “Why do we have to be watched while we vote? Do they go watch people vote in their areas?”

Gatlin was bothered by the fact that all the observers were white, she said, and they were dispatched to a predominantly African-American polling place. It didn’t matter, she said, that two of them were from organizations described as conservative and one was from a liberal group.

By AJ Vicens, News21

CNN, NBC News project Gov. Scott Walker as recall winner

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CNN and NBC News have projected Gov. Scott Walker as the winner in the Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett needed a strong showing in Madison and Milwaukee, but Walker outperformed Barrett in rural and suburban districts. Democrats made a final push to turn out the vote in urban centers, but could not compensate for Walker gains elsewhere.

For additional election night coverage and analysis, follow @AJVicens and @Khantasha, as well as @WhoCanVote.

What to watch for as Wisconsin numbers roll out

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Here is a quick guide to filter through the recall election rough and tumble:

1) Dane County.   The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the state government call Dane County home, and a win for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is improbable without a far-above-average showing.  Early reports from Madison indicated turnout could rise beyond the 100 percent of registered voters and include those who registered Tuesday.

2) Unions.  Gov. Scott Walker’s effort to limit union workers’ collective bargaining rights has been the focal point of the recall, and Twitter was flooded Tuesday with reports of union workers heading to the polls.  If the union vote is the highest that it has been in eight years, as the Washington Post projects is possible, the race gets even tighter.

3) Overall Turnout.  The state Government Accountability Board has projected turnout around 65 percent, which would be higher than in 2010 and lower than in 2008.  If turnout trends mimic 2010, when Walker was elected governor, then Democrats’ recall hopes might be dashed.

4) Tea Party Vote. If Tea Party voters flock to the polls as they did nationwide in 2010, then Barrett might again be disappointed in his race for the governor’s seat. Exit polls Tuesday show deep divisions among voters and dissatisfaction with both political parties, but Walker’s campaign will rely on those who strongly approve of his time in office.

By Annelise Russell, News21

Early exit polls indicate high union turnout in Wisconsin

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Union households could make up about one-third of the voters in Tuesday’s recall election, according to the Washington Post, and if that figure holds up, it would be the best showing for unions in Wisconsin in eight years.

Gov. Scott Walker led the effort to limit the collective bargaining rights of union workers last fall, and public worker unions have pushed back, with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporting eight out of 10 voters Tuesday either strongly approve or strongly disapprove of the way Walker addressed the issue.

Polls suggest Walker still has the edge, according the Post, but if union turnout, as well as increased day-of registration in Madison and Milwaukee, bolsters support for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the Democrat could close the gap.

By Annelise Russell, News21

Wisconsin Recall: Midway Update

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Voting in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial recall election is underway and the polls will remain open until 8 p.m. CDT, but here’s a quick look at trends at the polls this morning:

 

Alabama county argues part of Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional

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Alabama county argues part of Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional

Frank Ellis Jr., is the attorney for Shelby County, Ala. By Khara Persad/News21

The attorney for Shelby County, Ala., has filed a lawsuit that contests the constitutionality of Voting Rights Act sections that require federal oversight of any changes in election laws in all or portions of 17 states.

Attorney Frank Ellis Jr., argues in the lawsuit, which could reach the Supreme Court, that the requirements of sections 4(b) and 5 are a burden based upon voting discrimination practices that have disappeared since Congress passed the law in 1965.

“To require governments to spend tens of millions of dollars — local governments that need that money for other purposes, for education, for police protection, for facilities and infrastructure — it’s archaic and out of date,” Ellis said.

By Jack Fitzpatrick and Khara Persad, News21

Alabama NAACP leader talks about struggle to motivate voters

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Alabama NAACP leader talks about struggle to motivate voters

Steve Branch is the Alabama state chair for voter registration. Photo by Khara Persad/News21

Steve Branch, the NAACP voter registration chairman for Alabama, is committed to getting voters out of their homes and into polling places, he said, but the challenge for the civil rights organization is convincing people that their votes can make a difference.

 

“We’re trying to get our people to vote not only in general elections, but in primaries and in anything else that comes up,” Branch said. “We’re trying to get into an election habit.”
It’s an uphill battle, Branch said, because many voters are apathetic and don’t believe that voting matters.

 

“I have to say to people, ‘Listen, you have to look at the vote as far as what’s happening in your community. You can change the county commissioner. You can change the circuit court judge. You may be able to change your county sheriff – people who are oppressing you. You can change this to work in your favor,’” Branch said.

By Jack Fitzpatrick and Khara Persad, News21