A legislative committee asked state election officials to turn their motions on electoral issues into formalized rules to be approved by the governor Tuesday, a move critics say takes away the group’s independence from the Legislature. In a 6-4 vote split down party lines, the Joint Committee for Review on Administrative Rules voted to change a motion made by the Government Accountability Board into a finalized rule requiring Gov. Scott Walker’s approval.
Jason Rostan, spokesperson for JCRAR Chair Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, said the motions on voter ID stickers, technical college IDs and who can pre-fill petitions must go through a fairly lengthy process to become formalized. Rostan said a majority of the committee believed the GAB’s motion allowing the voter ID law to accept the use of technical college IDs is essentially new law created without legislative oversight.
The GAB is not an elected body, Rostan said, and should not be able to make new laws. Consequently, the JCRAR asked the GAB to make this decision a formal rule to be approved by the governor, sent to a legislative hearing, and finalized by the GAB no later than February. Reid Magney, spokesperson for the GAB, said the voter ID law clearly allowed college IDs to be used as voter identification.