Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you have been enjoying the first few days of Fall and the
unseasonably warm weather.
In this newsletter, you will find an update on the upcoming Supreme
Court case on redistricting, information regarding a recent study
showing the dramatic effect Wisconsin’s Voter ID had on the 2016 turnout
and an announcement about a new UW-Madison tuition program giving
opportunity to first-generation college students.
If you have any questions or need assistance with any matter, please
feel free to contact my office.
Sincerely,
Lisa Subeck
State Representative
78th Assembly District
Office Hours in October
Mark your calendars. In October I will be hosting office hours
throughout the district. I hope you’ll consider joining me at one of the
following locations:
Alicia
Ashman Library
Tues., Oct. 17, 4:30–5:30 p.m.
Community Room
733 N. High Point Road
Madison, WI 53717
Oakwood Village
Wed., Oct. 18, 2:00–3:00 p.m.
The Oaks Community Room
6205 Mineral Point Road
Madison, WI 53705
Meadowridge Library
Wed., Oct. 18, 5:00–6:00 p.m.
Community Room
5726 Raymond Road
Madison, WI 53711
Study
Confirms Voter ID Law Disenfranchised Thousands of Wisconsinites in 2016
In the last November election, only 69.4 percent of eligible voters cast
a ballot. This was the lowest in a presidential election year since
2000. Nearly 17,000 registered voters in Milwaukee and Dane counties
alone were disenfranchised in November by the Voter ID law, according to
survey results collected and studied by UW Professor Kenneth Mayer and a
doctoral student in political science, Michael G. DeCrescenzo.
Of the individuals surveyed, about half were registered, but did not
vote due to the lack of an acceptable ID. Of the remaining registered
voters that did not vote in November of 2016, the study found even
though they possessed acceptable IDs, they did not try to vote because
they mistakenly believed their ID would not be accepted.
The Voter ID law disproportionately affects low-income and
African-American voters. In the UW study, 21.1 percent of registrants
earning less than $25,000 a year were estimated to have been deterred
from voting, compared with 2.7 percent of registrants making $100,000 a
year or more. More than 27 percent of African-Americans reported being
deterred, compared with about 8 percent of white registrants.
The fact is that voter fraud is exceedingly rare. Studies like the one
conducted by Professor Mayer and Mr. DeCrescenzo, further demonstrate
that Voter ID laws disenfranchise people who have every right to vote,
but who lack ID. However, these studies also serve to confirm that even
people with proper ID are having their right to vote suppressed due to
Voter ID laws purposefully creating confusion among significant numbers
of eligible voters who have the necessary ID.
Make
Voter Registration Automatic
Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day, and I joined my Democratic
colleagues in introducing legislation that would create universal voter
registration.
The bill would create a new electronic voter registration system, which
unites the Department of Transportation's driver registration files and
the State Election Commission's voter file to allow for automatic voter
registration. With today’s technology and the integration of DOT
records, an electronic voter registration system would provide an
accountable, secure, and modern method to register voters. The
streamlining and modernizing of our voter registration process will
increase the efficiency and accuracy of voter registration.
Wisconsin would be the eleventh state along with the District of
Columbia to enact similar automatic voter registration legislation.
Residents across Wisconsin should have a high quality, modern election
system that encourages participation from the largest number of voters.
Supreme
Court to Hear Oral Arguments in Wisconsin Redistricting Case
On October 3, the United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments
in Gill v. Whitford. The nine Justices will decide whether or not
to uphold the lower court ruling that the Constitution’s Equal
Protection Clause was violated in 2011 by Wisconsin Republicans who
engaged in partisan gerrymandering.
It is expected that the decision of the Court will hinge on Justice
Anthony Kennedy. In previous cases before the Court, Justice Kennedy has
expressed the need for there to be workable standards to establish
whether gerrymandering has occurred. In this case, plaintiffs may have
succeeded in meeting that standard by measuring the “efficiency gap” in
Wisconsin legislative districts and establishing that a majority of
seats in the Assembly and Senate were always going to be won by
Republicans – even when statewide Democratic voter turnout far exceeds
that of Republican voters.
If the Supreme Court does not affirm the decision, then the current
legislative maps will be in place for the November 2018 election. If the
Court affirms the decision of lower courts, then legislative district
maps for the 2018 elections would have to be re-drawn. Unfortunately, at
this time, the Republican majorities appear to be committed to not
changing the map drawing process that has resulted in the Supreme Court
review.
New
UW-Madison 'Badger Promise' Program Will Offer Free Tuition to First
Generation Transfer Students
On Friday, UW Madison and UW Colleges and Extension unveiled a new
program, "Badger Promise," which will provide free tuition to qualifying
Wisconsin students allowing them to obtain a four-year degree. Wisconsin
students who want to transfer to UW-Madison and who are the first in
their families to earn a four-year degree will be eligible for the
program. The Badger Promise’s goal is to expand access to lower-income
Wisconsin residents and help to prepare Wisconsin workers to meet
employers' changing needs.
All first-generation transfers will receive one year of free tuition.
Badger Promise students who are eligible for federal Pell Grants will
receive two years of free tuition. The financial aid package is being
provided this semester to 139 new transfer students. The university
expects the number of eligible students to remain approximately the same
in future years.
Click here for additional details about the Badger Promise program.
Don’t
“Hangout” with Fake Job Scammers
Job seekers beware: scammers may use invitations to discuss employment
opportunities on Google Hangout as a way to get you to turn over
sensitive personal or financial information. If you receive a similar
unsolicited contact, stop communications immediately.
Fake work-from-home pitches often start via message boards and
classified ad sites or through unsolicited emails from phony recruiters.
Scammers use the names of well-known businesses, and the scammer may
even impersonate a senior-level employee or executive from the company.
The scammer will ask the potential victim to interview over an instant
messaging platform or using Google Hangouts, a service that allows
Google account holders to send direct messages, join a group chat, or
make voice or video calls. After an "interview," the scammer asks for
personal information under the false pretense of making a job offer or
ordering a background or drug test.
If you receive an unsolicited job offer from someone claiming to
represent a legitimate business, do some research and contact the
business directly to inquire.
Be suspicious of job prospects that are sent to you from a personal
email address (like a gmail.com address) and of requests to chat via
Google Hangouts or another instant message platform.
Additional tips to protect against job interview fraud:
-
Many fake job interview offers float around by text message and
email, so be suspicious of any unsolicited employment-related
contact that you receive. You may wish to flag the message as spam
and block the account from future communications if possible.
-
If you post your resume on a job site, check whether your
information is public or private and adjust the security settings to
meet your needs.
-
Watch for "interviews" where you are immediately offered a job
without consideration of your education, experiences and background.
-
Remember that the person contacting you may know some details about
the business they are claiming to represent.
For additional information, visit the Consumer Protection Bureau at
http://datcp.wisconsin.gov, send an e-mail to datcphotline@wisconsin.gov
or call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-422-7128.
2017-18
Blue Books Are Here
The newest edition of the Wisconsin Blue Book has arrived. If you would
like one, you may pick one up my at my Capitol office (418 North).
My office is open from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. If you are
unable to come to the Capitol but would like a Blue Book, please email
Rep.Subeck@legis.wisconsin.gov or call my office at 608-266-7521.
Fun
Wisconsin Fact
In 2016, Fitbit named Madison, Wisconsin as America’s Fittest City.
Fitbit researchers looked at aggregated data from over 10 million users
in 2015 and crunched the numbers to figure out which cities ranked
highest overall. After evaluating the average number of steps, active
minutes, resting heart rate, and sleep duration, Madison came out on
top. Following Madison as #2 was Minneapolis, Minnesota.