Tony Evers proposes automatic voter registration for Wisconsin drivers

MADISON - Wisconsin drivers would be automatically registered to vote under a proposal from Gov. Tony Evers that has been rejected before by Republicans writing the state budget.

The measure would be part of a package of policy changes for election administration and voting that includes some he has unsuccessfully proposed in previous budget plans, including expanding early voting and allowing clerks to count absentee ballots before election day — a measure that has bipartisan support and would provide faster election results in communities like Milwaukee that use a single location to count absentee ballots.

The new proposals come after Evers won reelection on a platform that included preserving the state's system of elections, a contrast with his opponent Tim Michels who called for abolishing the state's elections commission and left the door open to decertifying the 2020 presidential election result — a symbolic move that would appease former President Donald Trump and have no effect.

“Even as some politicians continue their efforts to undermine our safe, secure elections, restrict access to the ballot box, and control the outcomes of our elections, I have and will continue to defend and support the right to vote, our clerks, poll workers, and election administrators, and the opportunity to participate in our democracy," Evers said in a statement.

Evers is releasing details of his 2023-25 state budget proposal ahead of a primetime speech he will make from the Wisconsin State Capitol on Wednesday sharing his ideas for the two-year spending plan.

The governor's budget would allocate $172,700 for the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the Department of Transportation to implement automatic voter registration. The state DOT would receive another $349,000 in fiscal year 2023-24 to address one-time costs. His spending plan also would include an idea from the Wisconsin Elections Commission that would use $2 million to create a 10-person Office of Election Transparency and Compliance to handle "inquiries and complaints regarding potential election law violations."

The office would focus on auditing voting equipment, databases and "potentially hire an outside contractor to review certain information, such as voter lists, to ensure continued confidence in Wisconsin elections," according to the governor's office.

The timeframe a Wisconsin resident must live at an address in order to vote in its assigned precinct would be shortened under Evers' proposal, from 28 days to 10 days — also an idea Evers proposed in his last budget that was deleted by Republican lawmakers.

The spending plan also would:

• Create a $400,000 grant program to help clerks pay for electronic poll books.
• Require state technical colleges and University of Wisconsin System schools to ensure they issue IDs that are valid for voting purposes.
• Allow more time between primaries and special elections to ensure military and overseas voters had more time to return absentee ballots, as the federal law requires.

Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.