The Trail

Friday, October 24, 2008

VERIFYING VOTER IDENTITY

Lawsuit Thrown Out in Wisconsin

A Wisconsin judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit that threatened the registrations of thousands of state voters before the Nov. 4 general election. The state attorney general, who brought the case, said he will appeal that decision.

The dispute turns on whether elections officials should be required to verify voters' identities using a new statewide computer database that is known to produce errors. Federal law requires states to have the databases, but a series of problems with a private contractor delayed Wisconsin's ability to meet federal deadlines. Its current system contains flaws in the process that compares voter registration information against state driver's license and Social Security records, and incorrectly brands many voters as ineligible.

Discrepancies as minor as an initial and mistakes in dates of birth have caused mismatches, prompting state election officials to refuse to use the system to compel voters to verify their identities.

The case was brought by Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, a Republican and co-chair in Wisconsin for John McCain's presidential campaign.

"I am disappointed with today's decision and respectfully disagree," Van Hollen said in a statement. "When a lower court gets the law wrong, parties appeal to a higher court, and that's what I will do."

Van Hollen has said publicly that he was concerned about possible voting fraud. In its filings, the state GOP said it wanted checks, especially in parts of Wisconsin "where there is knowledge that criminal activity has taken place."

In her ruling, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi said, "That's something for which there is no competent evidence before the court at this time."

-- Mary Pat Flaherty

FORMER PRESS SECRETARY'S VOTE

McClellan Throws Support to Obama

Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan, who angered many Republicans earlier this year with a memoir sharply critical of President Bush, said today that he plans to vote for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

McClellan told CNN that Obama's message "is very similar to the one that Governor Bush ran on in 2000," referring to the current president's early pitch as a reformer and a moderate.

"From the very beginning, I have said I am going to support the candidate that has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done, and I will be voting for Barack Obama and clapping," McClellan said during the interview, which was taped for the Saturday broadcast of a new CNN show, "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News."

McClellan's endorsement was not a surprise. After publishing his best-selling book, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception," McClellan had hinted that he might vote for Obama or even register as a Democrat.

In his book, McClellan outlined deep disillusionment with both Washington and the president he served, and his open criticism of Bush and other Republicans has not gone down well with his former colleagues, who have described him as disgruntled and out of the loop on major White House decisions.

-- Dan Eggen