Wisconsin: New photo ID voting law another hurdle for homeless | Green Bay Press Gazette

New state rules that require photo identification to vote could make it harder for the homeless to cast ballots, and local advocates are trying to help. JOSHUA, an interfaith social justice organization, has made it a priority to help the homeless and others in need navigate the new voting laws before heading to the polls.

The legislation, in part, requires people to show photo ID when voting. That can be challenging for a person who doesn’t have a place to call home or transportation to visit a state Division of Motor Vehicles office to obtain the proper ID. Election specialists from the state Government Accountability Board told a group of advocates Tuesday at the Brown County Central Library the law doesn’t make exceptions for the homeless.

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Voter ID Bill: The Embodiment of Discrimination or Weapon Against Voter Fraud? | State of Elections

Imagine that after months of living off of your meager savings, you can longer pay your rent and are subsequently evicted from your home. You, like an estimated 15,096 Pennsylvanians, have no permanent home. Regrettably, your homelessness could hinder your ability to vote.

Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R – Butler County) introduced House Bill 934 on March 4, 2011. It passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by a 108-88 vote and is currently before the Senate.  As it stands, the current election laws require voters to show identification the first time they vote at a new polling location. If approved, the bill will require voters to show valid photo identification every time they vote, even though they may have voted at that particular polling location in the past.

The primary justification for this “common-sense safeguard” is to prevent voter fraud. In an interview with Comcast Newsmakers, Rep. Metcalfe stated that voter fraud is still a relevant concern as demonstrated by the 2009 investigation of ACORN employees in Pittsburgh for fraud. He also discussed how thousands of fraudulent voter registrations were filed in Philadelphia in 2005 and how 1500 of those registrations were turned over to the District Attorney for further investigation.

Kentucky: County, state differ on Kentucky’s homeless voters | Cincinnati.com

Boone County officials have decided state law trumps the state board of elections, when it comes to homeless voters. County Clerk Kenny Brown said he will follow the direction of Kentucky Revised Statutes regarding voter registration as it pertains to homeless voters rather than follow a State Board of Elections memo.

As a result, homeless voters who do not supply a verifiable address will not be placed in any precinct for the November election, but could still potentially be allowed to vote. “We are not trying to disenfranchise voters here or deprive anyone of the opportunity to vote,” Brown said. “I have an obligation to ensure the integrity of the election process and if I follow the memorandum from the State Board of Elections I don’t think I can do that.”

Kentucky: Ethics panel declines to act on complaint about registering homeless voters | Kentucky.com

The Executive Branch Ethics Commission has decided not to take action on a complaint filed by Bill Johnson, Republican candidate for secretary of state, over voter registration of homeless people.

Johnson said Tuesday that John Steffen, executive director of the ethics commission, told him the panel lacked jurisdiction to consider his complaint against Secretary of State Elaine Walker and the State Board of Elections. After the commission’s regular meeting Monday, Steffen declined to comment.

Johnson contended in his complaint, filed in August, that Walker and the elections board were violating the Kentucky Constitution by allowing people who don’t have addresses to register to vote.

Maine: Homeless vote a non-issue in Maine referendum | Houston Chronicle

The right of homeless people to vote has become a non-issue in Maine’s referendum debate over voter registration.On Nov. 8, Mainers will decide whether to repeal a new law that requires voters to register at least two business days before an election. Passage would restore a state policy allowing election-day registration.

The debate has touched on the right of homeless people to vote. But as the Kennebec Journal in Augusta Reports Monday, both sides agree that the homeless have that right.

Kentucky: Grimes, Johnson Spar Over Homeless Voters | WFPL News

Speaking at this year’s Fancy Farm picnic, the candidates for secretary of state continued their debate about registering homeless people to vote in Kentucky.
Declaring that people without an address should not be allowed to vote, Republican nominee Bill Johnson said allowing them to register opens the door to possible voter fraud.

Last month, he filed an ethics complaint over a 2-page memorandum sent to county clerks by the secretary of state’s office telling local officials to approve voter applications that have “homeless” or “place to place” listed as an address.

Kentucky: Kentucky Legislators to look at homeless voter issue | cincinnati.com

Secretary of State Elaine Walker and Boone County Clerk Kenny Brown will address state legislators Tuesday afternoon on the issues surrounding homeless voter registration. They will speak before the Interim Task Force on Elections, Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs to talk about the concerns raised over a memo last month from the Kentucky Board of Elections on the process for homeless voter registration.

Committee co-chairman Sen. Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, said he called the meeting with Walker and Brown to help lawmakers decide whether legislation will be necessary to allay concerns. “I want to have a committee hearing about it so we can look at potentially addressing it in the next session,” Thayer said.

The June 30 homeless voter registration memo from Board of Elections Executive Director Sarah Ball Johnson to all county clerks drew the objection of Boone County Clerk Kenny Brown.

Virginia: Homeless Have Right to Cast a Ballot | NBC29

Casting a ballot may be the last thing on your mind if you’re homeless but election officials say everyone’s voice matters. Even if you don’t have an address, you still have the right to vote here in Virginia.

Charlottesville City Councilor Kristin Szakos is taking voter registration to The Haven, where many didn’t know they can cast a ballot. “I think that when people’s lives are difficult, it’s hard to think about things like civic participation,” she said.

Sheri Iachetta is the city’s voter registrar and she wants to see more homeless voters coming out to the polls. “The people who are homeless don’t realize that they have the opportunity to register and vote. That’s what we’re realizing,” she said.

Kentucky: GOP candidate files ethics complaint over voter registration of homeless | Kentucky.com

Bill Johnson, Republican candidate for secretary of state, filed an ethics complaint Thursday against Secretary of State Elaine Walker and the State Board of Elections over voter registration of homeless people.

Johnson, a Todd County businessman and educator, contends Walker and the board are violating the Kentucky Constitution by allowing people who don’t have addresses to register to vote. He says the elections board was wrong June 30 when it notified county clerks they could register voters who have no addresses.

The board said applications should be approved if they have “homeless” or “place to place” listed as addresses. Walker, who is chairwoman of the elections board, was not available for comment.

Kentucky: Secretary of State Candidates Spar Over Homeless Voters | WFPL News

The candidates for Kentucky Secretary of State are sparring over the issue of registering homeless people to vote, which is becoming the first line of attack in the race for the commonwealth’s chief election officer.

Earlier this month, the state board of elections sent a 2-page memorandum to county clerks telling them to uphold up state law and approve registration cards that have “homeless” or “place to place” listed under their addresses. The memo said a clerk should not refuse to register a homeless person on the grounds they do not have a traditional residence, but some county officials raised concerns about potential election fraud.

Citing state law and the now-defunct community organizing group ACORN, Republican candidate Bill Johnson decried the memo and called on current Secretary of State Elaine Walker, who chairs the state board, to resign from office.

Kentucky: Johnson plans legal action regarding homeless voters issue | Kentucky Politics

GOP Secretary of State candidate Bill Johnson said he will either file an ethics complaint or motion in court soon objecting to a memo sent from the state on the procedure for registering homeless voters.

The Kentucky Board of Elections sent a memo to county clerks identifying the need for clarification in voter registration applications from the homeless that have incomplete address information, due to a recent increase in the number of those voters.

Both Johnson and Boone County Clerk Kenny Brown have expressed concerns that the policy could lead to voter fraud.

Wisconsin: ACLU Targets Wisconsin Voter ID Law | 620 WTMJ

The ACLU of Wisconsin is using local food pantries as a means to gather data about the impacts of the recently passed voter ID bill. Outspokenly opposed to the voter ID bill in Wisconsin, the ACLU of Wisconsin called the measure the “the worst and most restrictive we’ve seen,” explaining that the bill would “deny potentially thousands of voters the right to freely cast a ballot based on the non-existent problem of so-called voter fraud.” When the bill was signed into law on May 26, the ACLU went right to work to prepare a lawsuit like the one they filed recently in Ohio.

Their first step was to gather data. And what better place to find all those “disenfranchised voters” than at a food pantry.

Kentucky: Grimes’ campaign says homeless have a right to vote | Kentucky Politics

Kentucky law does not require someone own property to vote, says the campaign manager of Democratic Secretary of State candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes. Campaign manager Jonathan Hurst issued a statement Wednesday in response to GOP opponent Bill Johnson’s response on issues raised over homeless voter registration.

Johnson echoed Boone County Clerk Kenny Brown’s concerns about a memo from the State Board of Elections instructing clerks not to refuse to register a homeless person because they don’t have a traditional residential address.

Kentucky: Bill Johnson slams Secretary of State and his opponent on homeless voter registration | Kentucky Politics

GOP Secretary of State candidate Bill Johnson has gone on the offensive with the issues raised over homeless voter registration.

Johnson echoed Boone County Clerk Kenny Brown’s concerns about a memo from the State Board of Elections instructing clerks not to refuse to register a homeless person because they don’t have a traditional residential address.

He issued another statement Wednesday morning:

Kentucky: County clerks worry Kentucky homeless voter policy could lead to fraud | FOX19

Kentucky election officials say there’s been an increase in the number of voter registration forms from the homeless so they felt the need to clarify a few rules. However, some local county clerks say the policy could lead to voter fraud.

Last week, State Board of Elections Executive Director Sarah Ball Johnson wrote all of the county clerks in Kentucky a memo, instructing them to approve all voter registration applications from people who are homeless — even if clerks can’t verify the addresses on the forms. The policy has been in place since 1998, but Johnson wanted to clarify it because of the number of applicants and newly elected county clerks.