April 14, 2021
(Testimony by Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Executive Director Matthew Rothschild to the Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections in opposition to AB 173, companion to SB207, on April 14, 2021.)
Chair Brandtjen and other distinguished members of the Committee,
I’m Matt Rothschild, the executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.
Now in our 26th year, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign tracks and exposes the money in Wisconsin politics and advocates for a full range of pro-democracy reforms so that we have a democracy where everyone has an equal voice.
I’m testifying today to oppose AB 173 (companion to SB207), and I’ll get into the details in just a bit.
But before I do that, I want to take just a minute to discuss the context in which these anti-voter bills, and a raft of others, are circulating.
Let me be blunt: There is an effort under way, here in Wisconsin and around the country, to continue to cast doubt on the validity of the Nov. 3 election, the legitimacy of the Biden presidency, and the integrity of our elections.
In part, this is an effort to retroactively substantiate the bogus claims, repeated ad nauseam, by Donald Trump.
In part, it is an effort to feed the Republican base red meat, and on Jan. 6th, we saw how a segment of that base reacts when fed that unhealthy diet.
And in part, it is an effort to erect barriers that interfere with the freedom to vote in an attempt to gain partisan advantage.
That is why we are seeing, in 47 states including Wisconsin, bills introduced that would interfere with the freedom to vote, the most basic freedom in our democracy.
Now on to the specifics of AB 173.
It would impair the ability of clerks to find sufficient poll workers to conduct a smooth election. The bill prohibits an employee of an “issue advocacy” group from acting as poll worker. Does this mean that no one who works for the League of Women Voters or the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign or the ACLU can act as a poll worker? As it is now, clerks have a hard enough time finding enough poll workers. This prohibition would make matters worse.
For these reasons, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign opposes AB 173 (and its companion bill, Senate Bill 207). Thank you for considering our views.