Cost to end same-day voter registration $5M; Walker disapproves

Governor was in favor of the bill prior to the cost information

PEWAUKEE, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker said he no longer favors ending same-day voter registration in Wisconsin, citing a report that says doing away with it would cost at least $5.2 million.

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report said Walker told reporters in Pewaukee “there is no way” he’d sign such a costly bill.

“There’s no way I’m signing a bill that costs that much money. So, to me, as I’ve said before, I didn’t advocate for a bill; I didn’t even say it was a priority. I just said it would be easier. But with that kind of dollar amount, to me that’s a non-starter,” Walker said.

The report came from the state Government Accountability Board. It said if the state eliminated same-day registration it would have to make other changes to comply with federal laws.

Walker had previously said he would sign such a bill, although it wasn’t a priority for him and he wouldn’t push the issue in the Legislature.

He said in light of the new report he doesn’t think lawmakers would even try to approve such a bill.

The Republican lawmaker who initially circulated an email saying he was working on this bill, Rep. Joel Kleefisch, could not be reach for comment Wednesday.

While not promising a veto, the governor said he would simply not support a bill that attached a cost of this magnitude to this issue.