Common Council votes 11-4 in favor of same-day voter registration referendum

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday, January 15th voted 11-4 to place an advisory referendum to allow citizens to vote in support of preserving same-day voter registration.

This referendum would go on the city of Milwaukee April 2013 election ballot.

Mayor Tom Barrett has indicated he would support the referendum if the Common Council agreed to place it on the ballot. 

According to the state Government Accountability Board (GAB), same day voter registration is utilized by 10 to 15 percent of electors in major statewide elections, and national research suggests states with same day voter registration have voter turnout 5 to 7 percent higher than states without same day voter registration.

In the November 2012 election, 54,000 (19%) of Milwaukee voters utilized same day registration. 

After the November elections, various Republican leaders, including Gov. Scott Walker, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Assistant Senate Republican Leader Glenn Grothman publicly supported the elimination of same day voter registration.

The latest efforts to manipulate elections come on the heels of the passage of an unconstitutional voter ID law that could disenfranchise 300,000 legal voters and their gerrymandering state legislative districts that let the GOP add legislative seats despite getting over 170,000 fewer votes than Democrats -- according to One Wisconsin Now.