The Guardian: Victory for Democrats as Wisconsin appeals court puts hold on voter purge

01.14.2020 / By Sam Levine
The Guardian: Victory for Democrats as Wisconsin appeals court puts hold on voter purge

Even though the purge is on hold, the controversy over the last few months may have intimidated people, particularly those who move a lot, and could deter them from voting this year, said Jay Heck, the executive director of the Wisconsin chapter of Common Cause. “If they just hear on the grapevine or through second and thirdhand knowledge that they’re probably not registered to vote any more, because some folks have said they shouldn’t be, then it’s going to have the effect that conservatives want, which is to depress voter turnout amongst that population,” he said.

A Wisconsin appeals court on Tuesday put on hold an order to immediately remove up to 209,000 names from the state’s voter registration rolls, handing Democrats who had fought the move a victory in the battleground state.

The appeals court sided with the bipartisan state elections commission in putting the brakes on removing any voters while the court fight continues. It also put on hold a ruling from Monday in which a judge found the commission and its three Democratic members in contempt for not proceeding with removing the voters. …

Even though the purge is on hold, the controversy over the last few months may have intimidated people, particularly those who move a lot, and could deter them from voting this year, said Jay Heck, the executive director of the Wisconsin chapter of Common Cause.

“If they just hear on the grapevine or through second and thirdhand knowledge that they’re probably not registered to vote any more, because some folks have said they shouldn’t be, then it’s going to have the effect that conservatives want, which is to depress voter turnout amongst that population,” he said.

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