Library kiosks aim to boost voter registration

he 2016 presidential election might have drawn out more voters nationwide than in 2012, but in Milwaukee voter turnout plummeted 12%. The city, in collaboration with the Milwaukee Public Library, plans to change that.

Mayor Tom Barrett announced Monday the launch of voter registration kiosks at all Milwaukee Public Library branches to ease the process of online voter registration on the MyVote website. Trained library staff will assist eligible voters with the registration process. The initiative aims to register, at a minimum, an additional 25,000 voters by the midterm elections this fall.

“Democracy is the ultimate participatory sport,” Barrett said. “It works as well as we the people make it work.”

The mayor noted that of the city’s 437,000 eligible voters, only 250,500, a little more than half that number, are currently registered — higher than the national average, but “historically we have done much better than that.” The current number represents a drop from last year, when 330,000 voters registered.

Barrett suggested two causes for the decline: state policies that purge people who haven’t voted for four years from the registry, and recent legislative changes affecting voter registration. Specifically, he cited the elimination of the open registration period and special registration deputies who could stake out college campuses and street corners to make sure people are registered.

While Barrett acknowledged the potential benefits of the state’s newly launched online registration system, he doubts that it will help the population most affected by the legislative changes: families living in poverty.

“The people who are most likely affected by the changes in the state laws are also the people least likely to have access to steady internet,” he said.

The mayor also emphasized that Milwaukee residents who have moved to a new address that is not reflected on their driver’s license or state ID can still register and should do so at their earliest convenience.

Voters are urged to visit myvote.wi.gov or call (414) 286-CITY (2489) to check registration status. The Wisconsin Election Commission’s tollfree number is (866) 868-3947.