Matt Flynn Will Restore Voting Rights in Wisconsin Print
Elections, Elected Officials, Political Parties
Written by Forward with Flynn, Bryan Kennedy   
Thursday, 07 December 2017 16:01

matt-flynn-govDemocratic candidate for Governor will end discrimination and voter suppression tactics.


MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Matt Flynn announced Tuesday his proposals to restore voting rights in the state, following years of suppression tactics by incumbent Scott Walker and his Republican allies in the State Legislature.

voter-fraud-sign“For over 100 years, Wisconsin was a leader in expanding voting opportunities and making voting easier. We were the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment, upholding women’s suffrage. Wisconsinites have always looked at voting as a right. Since Walker and his Republican donor cartel took over the state, they have systematically impeded voting. They have targeted those who are most negatively impacted by the Republicans’ terrible policies,” Matt Flynn charged. “I will restore our progressive tradition of expanding voting rights. I will simplify how we conduct elections. I believe in fair elections and in leveling the playing field.”

Since Walker and the Republicans took over in January 2011, they have curtailed voting rights, by:

  • Passing Voter ID bills, despite almost no cases anywhere of voter impersonation;
  • Closing DMV buildings and limiting hours of those facilities around the state, making it difficult to obtain a permissible Voter ID;
  • Gerrymandering the state so that Republicans won nearly 2/3 of Assembly seats, despite garnering roughly half of the popular vote in state elections;
  • Curtailing early voting and making voter registration more difficult;


Flynn said, “The victims of their assault on voting have been students, the elderly, the poor, and minority voters. After decades of increased voter turnout, the 2016 election saw a dramatic drop-off, particularly in counties that have college campuses and large minority populations. That was the Republicans’ goal. This is unacceptable and violates Wisconsin’s great tradition of inclusion.”

“The Supreme Court has decreed ‘one person, one vote’ and guaranteed voting rights in our country. I will fight to uphold the laws of our country. When I am elected Governor, I will introduce the most extensive reforms for voting and elections in Wisconsin’s history. It’s time that Wisconsin once again embraces ‘one person, one vote.’”

Flynn’s proposals include:

  • Automatic voter registration at age 18, or whenever someone 18 or older obtains a driver’s license or state ID.
  • Ending Voter ID laws.
  • Expanding early, in-person voting.
  • Requiring that every touchscreen terminal produce a paper ballot.
  • Encouraging mail-in balloting to increase voter participation and turnout.
  • Neutral redistricting with maps drawn by an independent, nonpartisan commission, comprised of neutral judges.

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Matt Flynn is a Navy veteran, attorney, and former Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. He attended law school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

For additional information, visit www.ForwardWithFlynn.com.

Last Updated on Thursday, 07 December 2017 16:17