• COVID-19 Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Promotions
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • June 5, 2025

Milwaukee Courier Weekly Newspaper

"THE NEWSPAPER YOU CAN TRUST SINCE 1964"

  • News
  • Editorials
  • Education
  • Urban Business
  • Health
  • Religion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Classifieds

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Wisconsin’s Voter Rolls Purge Taken to the Courts

January 3, 2020

By Ana Martinez-Ortiz

The electoral roll goes by many names such as the electoral register, poll book or most commonly voter rolls. Essentially it is the list of people who are eligible to vote in any given district.

Earlier this week the Journal Sentinel reported that a group of voters asked a judge to find the Wisconsin Elections Commission in contempt. The group asked that the commission be fined each day until it removes 200,000 voters from its rolls.

PBS reported that it’s a move Democrats are currently fighting against.

According to PBS, last month a judge ordered the purge of voters who failed to the respond to a notification. The commission had sent the notification in October 2019 to determine if voters moved, there needed to be a response within 30 days. About 232,500 voters received a notification but 209,000 have not responded to the request if they remain at their current address or if they have moved.

While Republicans on the commission wanted the purge to happen immediately, Democrats requested a delay. As a result, the commission deadlocked after debating whether or not to follow through with the judge’s order and is now looking for an appeal.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a conservative law firm, is now asking for commission members to be found in contempt PBS reported.

Rick Esenberg, the president of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, said the firm had no choice but to file the motion. PBS reported that Esenberg spoke with WISN-AM. During the interview he said that court orders are not suggestions and even though an appeal was filed orders should still be followed.
Esenberg filed his motion on Thursday, Jan. 2. In his motion he asked that the judge fine five of the six commissioners. The Journal Sentinel reported that he filed the motion on behalf of three voters from Milwaukee.

According to the Journal Sentinel, Josh Kaul, the Democratic attorney general, who represents the commission said that the commissioners should not be found in contempt. Kaul said that the commissioners are taking the issue to a higher court.

Should the purge go through, voters in Democratic areas of the state will be heavily affected. Wisconsin is known for being a swing state and will play a major role in the 2020 election.

PBS reported that Democrats don’t want to have voters re-register because it could cause an additional burden and affect turn-out.

Right now, the case is before a state appeals court with the potential to move to the Supreme Court. Although the Supreme Court has yet to respond, voter rolls will continue to be a topic of debate in the year to come.

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Popular Interests In This Article: Ana Martinez-Ortiz, Voter Registration Deactivations

Read More - Related Articles

  • What Would Martin Luther King, Jr. Say About the World Today
  • Like a Boss: Entrepreneur Shayla Burtin explains How to Keep Employees
  • Common Council Elects Ald. José G. Pérez as President
  • ‘Treat the Entire Person’ Milwaukee Area Health Education Center Celebrates 30 Years
  • Students Become Global Citizens at MPS World Fair
Become Our Fan On Facebook
Find Us On Facebook


Follow Us On X
Follow Us On X

Editorials

Lakeshia Myers
Michelle Bryant
Dr. Kweku Akyirefi Amoasi formerly known as Dr. Ramel Smith

Journalists

Karen Stokes

Topics

Health Care & Wellness
Climate Change
Upcoming Events
Obituaries
Milwaukee NAACP

Politicians

David Crowley
Cavalier Johnson
Marcelia Nicholson
Governor Tony Evers
President Joe Biden
Vice President Kamala Harris
Former President Barack Obama
Gwen Moore
Milele A. Coggs
Spencer Coggs

Classifieds

Job Openings
Bid Requests
Req Proposals
Req Quotations
Apts For Rent

Contact Us

Milwaukee Courier
2003 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Ph: 414.449.4860
Fax: 414.906.5383

Copyright © 2025 · Courier Communications | View Privacy Policy | Site built and maintained by Farrell Marketing Technology LLC
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.