Government Accountability Board
State of Wisconsin
212 E. Washington Ave., Third Floor Madison, WI 53703 [email protected]
(608) 266-8005 Help Desk (608) 261-2028 http://gab.wi.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

July 24, 2009 Reid Magney, 608-267-7887

 

MADISON, WI – The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board’s proposed
five-year,
$17.3 million plan for state elections will be put to one of its first
tests Tuesday when
clerks, other election officials and community representatives gather
in Madison to
review it prior to board approval Aug. 10.

The Wisconsin Election Administration Council, comprised of 19 members
with expertise and interest in elections, will meet starting at 9 a.m.
Tuesday, July 28, at the GAB offices, 212 East Washington Ave.,
Madison. The meeting, which is scheduled to last until 3:30 p.m., will
also include up to one hour of public comment on the plan, starting at
9:15 a.m.

The Draft 2009-2014 Election Administration Plan is designed to
upgrade and modernize elections over the next five years, and is
required under the federal Help America Vote Act, and responds to
requests for change from the GAB’s customers
(voters) and partners (clerks). While many of the plan’s goals will
affect how clerks do their jobs, it also includes calls to study
several proposed changes in the way people will
be able to vote, including:
early voting/streamlined absentee voting
improvements to polling places
improving voter registration efficiency, including online
registration
expanding voting methods, including by mail, phone and Internet
changing primary election dates.

The entire plan is available online at:
htttp://elections.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=16946&locid=47

Nathaniel E. Robinson, elections division administrator, said that
while the draft plan is
visionary and ambitious, the Government Accountability Board wants to
make sure that
members of the public and election officials have the opportunity to
scrutinize it and improve it before it is approved by the
Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance and the Government
Accountability Board. The plan must also be submitted to the U.S.
Election Assistance Commission. Many of the election changes to be
explored during five-year plan would have to be approved by the
Legislature and Governor.

The Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) is responsible for
administration and enforcement of
campaign finance, elections, ethics and lobbying laws in Wisconsin.
The G.A.B. is made up of six
non-partisan, former judges and is supported by an agency of
non-partisan staff members.
Additional information about the mission of the G.A.B. may be obtained
by telephone at
1-608-266-8005, by electronic mail at [email protected], or through the
Internet at http://gab.wi.gov.