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Official Government
Communication
Dear Friend,
Welcome to my
email newsletter. There is a lot happening at the State Capitol and it is
my hope that this email will help you stay in touch with your government.
As your Senator, I truly believe in public service. If there is anything
my office can do to assist you, please feel free to contact us.
Here to serve,
Sen. Lena
Taylor
4th District
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The truth behind voter ID
I’ve said it time and time
again: Voter ID doesn’t improve the integrity of the ballot but
disenfranchises voters. Voter Identification laws often strike voters who
vote democratic, which is why Republicans are introduce them: to give
themselves an edge at the polls. Just look at North Carolina, where lawmakers
were recently shown to have purposefully targeted black voters to prevent
them from voting. Voting is your
right, and no one has the ability to take it from you. This election day,
with Voter ID still in place in Wisconsin, make sure to come to the polls
prepared. You’ll need to show a photo ID. This can be a driver’s license, a
Wisconsin DOT-issued ID card, a Military ID card, or a US passport. If you
don’t currently have an ID, you can get one for free at the DMV even if you
don’t have a birth certificate or social security card. Just bring what you
have, and you’ll get an ID in time. If they do not accept your identification
at the polls, make sure to cast a provisional ballot. You’ll have until
Friday to make sure the error is corrected and you can call my office if you
have trouble making sure your ballot is counted. If you would like to
know more about voting and how to vote, please check out https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/
for more information. Don’t miss your opportunity to make your voice heard!
The myth of voter fraud
The rational  behind voter I.D is supposed to be for one
reason only: preventing voter fraud. According to Republicans, voter fraud is
such a serious problem that strict voter ID laws are the only solution. But
is that really the case? Statistics report otherwise. An analysis found that there were only 10 cases
of in person voter ID fraud over a 12 year span, the only kind of fraud voter
ID prevents. Claims that “zombie voters” or votes being placed in the names
of deceased citizens also prove to be false. The fact of the matter is
there isn’t enough cases of Voter ID fraud to constitute having such strict
voter ID laws.
Voter ID and transgender voters
Voter ID laws
disenfranchise voters, plain and simple. Often these voters are Black and
Latino citizens, our veterans, our disabled population, and our students.
While we often discuss how voter ID laws
disproportionately impact these groups there’s one group we can overlook when
discussing disenfranchisement; our transgender population. In many states,
it’s difficult for transgender citizens to get identification that accurately
reflects their gender. Often states require a variety of legal hoops to jump
through for transgender individuals get proper identification. For those who
can’t get proper identification, going to the polls becomes a risk for
discrimination from workers who don’t know how to properly treat transgender
individuals. It’s clear voter ID does more harm than good. Our transgender
citizens deserve the right to feel safe while they vote just like the rest of
us.
Your right
to vote
In 1865, an African
American Milwaukee Resident, Ezekiel Gillespie, fought restrictions to his
right to vote by attempting to regist er. A week later, he was refused again, and he
would later go onto challenge this refusal in the courts. It would eventually
make its way to the Wisconsin Supreme court who would rule in his favor,
securing voting rights for African America men in Wisconsin. No one should be
able to take away your right to vote. Plain and simple. Your vote is your
own, and at the end of the day, who you choose on your ballot is your choice
alone. Anyone who tries to convince or scare you into choosing otherwise is
infringing on your rights. With this polarized election, the threat of people
monitoring the polls has grown larger than ever. Suggestions have been made
to monitor the pools. That’s just not acceptable. No one should be threatened
for trying to exercise their constitutional rights. The law says that you
have the right to feel safe and unintimidated at your polling place. If you
feel like someone is interfering with this right, call The Department of
Justice’s voting rights hotline at 1-800-253-3931 or the Election Protection
hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Your vote is your voice, and no one has the right
to silence you, so get out on November 8th and speak your mind!
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