Two Wisconsin Lawmakers Proposing to Remove Wisconsin's Membership From Electronic Registration Information Center

Monday, September 25th, 2023 -- 12:01 PM

(Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Two Republican lawmakers are proposing to remove Wisconsin's membership from a nonpartisan national organization that has allowed state election officials to catch "scores" of voter fraud cases.

According to Molly Beck with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Sen. Duey Stroebel of the Town of Cedarburg and Rep. Ty Bodden of Hilbert released legislation this week that would remove Wisconsin from the Electronic Registration Information Center, known as ERIC.

The organization comprises 25 states and has become a target of Republicans since former President Donald Trump launched a baseless campaign to discredit election systems in key battleground states, including Wisconsin, after he lost reelection in 2020.

Earlier this year, Trump called on GOP-led states to withdraw from ERIC. Eight Republican-controlled states have dropped their membership since 2022. Driving the exodus, in part, is the organization's effort to increase access to voter registration by requiring states as part of their membership to reach out to residents who are eligible to vote but not registered, according to the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.

Wisconsin routinely gets information about voters who may have moved from ERIC, which identifies such voters using U.S. Postal Service change-of-address requests and vehicle registration information.

ERIC provides reports to state officials on which residents are eligible voters and not registered but how to use that information is up to state officials. ERIC's processes do not indicate a political leaning, according to the NCSL.

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