Walker Says He Won’t Sign End To Same-Day Registration

Governor Scott Walker says he won’t sign a bill that would end Election Day voter registration in Wisconsin, saying it would cost the state too much money.

Walker initially raised the prospect of ending same day registration when speaking to a Republican audience in California several weeks back. But after the Government Accountability Board sent a memo to lawmakers saying the change would cost the state more than $5 million immediately and $2 million every two years after that, the governor backed off, “There’s no way I’m signing a bill that costs that much money. As I’ve said before, I didn’t advocate for a bill, I didn’t even say it was a priority, but with that kind of dollar amount, to me, that’s a non-starter.”

Walker says he still personally supports the idea of ending same day registration. Milwaukee Assembly Democrat Jon Richards said he wouldn’t feel comfortable until the governor promised to veto the law, “I’m encouraged to hear what the governor said, but I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. There’s still some fine print and there’s some wiggle room.”

In Wisconsin bills that are not signed or vetoed by a governor immediately become law within six days of landing on his desk.