The Cost of Eliminating Election Day Registration in Wisconsin, Part Two

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board recently released its final report on the cost of ending Election Day registration in the state. The study estimated the price tag at $14.5 million, almost three times as much the initial projection provided in a preliminary report last December.

Offering Election Day registration exempts Wisconsin from the requirements of the National Voter Registration Act, and the board estimates that much of the cost would result from the state becoming subject to those rules. Under the act, state agencies like the Division of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Health Services, the Department of Children and Families, and the Department of Workforce Development must provide voter-registration opportunities. The combined cost estimate for these efforts is more than $10 million.