The director of the Government Accountability Board called Gov. Scott Walker’s recent comments about funding a voter ID public education campaign “disingenuous” on Wednesday. In a 4-2 decision, the board voted Tuesday to ask for money from the state Legislature to fund a statewide campaign to educate voters on what forms of ID are acceptable at the polls. Walker addressed the funding request on Tuesday, saying that the high turnout during the April 5 primary demonstrates the funding is unnecessary. Moreover, the governor said the state has already spent too much money defending the law in court.
“The fact is, the state had to spend a whole lot of time and money defending the (voter ID) law, and we continue to do so today,” Walker said. “If people were really serious about that, they wouldn’t have allowed the state to use all that money to fight courts and to use that in promoting the system.”
Kevin Kennedy, the board’s director, disputes Walker’s statement. In an interview on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Central Time,” he said that state residents, particularly students, would benefit from an outreach campaign.
“That’s really a very disingenuous comment,” said Kennedy. “I mean, this was a very politically charged decision in the Legislature. Not everyone supports it. And people were challenging the right. That’s like apples and oranges.”
Full Article: GAB Director Calls Walker’s Comments On Voter ID Law ‘Disingenuous’ | Wisconsin Public Radio.