Wisconsin must comply with the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). A key component of HAVA is creating a statewide voter database.

HAVA was passed by Congress as a one-size-fits-all law for the entire nation. It is geared towards the majority of states that require voters to be pre-registered before Election Day. If they aren't registered on Election Day they can't vote.

Wisconsin wisely permits Election Day voter registration. The state Elections Board is in charge of the project to create a statewide voter database. The list they plan to create will only include people who are pre-registered to vote.

"The Elections Board is making a mistake by focusing only on the literal requirements of HAVA. It's an expensive mistake too," said Barry Ashenfelter, business representative for Wisconsin Voter Lists (a private company that maintains and sells a statewide voter list).

"The goal should be to use this database to improve the voting process and make it more efficient and secure," said Ashenfelter.

HAVA requires the creation of a statewide database of everyone who is "registered to vote", which in most states is exactly the same as saying "everyone eligible to vote". In Wisconsin, because of same-day registration, hundreds of thousands of people are eligible to cast ballots, and do, without being previously "registered".

Key information about almost everyone over 18 (potential/eligible voters) is readily available before Election Day. These people are likely to have a driver's license, a State ID, be a student at a public university, or be enrolled in a high school government class.

Placing the names of these additional eligible (but as yet un-registered) voters into the state voter file does not contradict HAVA. Rather, it takes the skeletal language of the federal requirement and fleshes it out to match the reality of Wisconsin elections. Augmenting the state's voter file in this way would serve many purposes.

It would speed up Election Day processing of voters at the polls, reducing the number of new registration applications taken that day - many of which are illegible or incomplete. It would also reduce the possibility of fraud by providing accurate information about who resides in a ward and their qualifications to vote.

A statewide database of all potential or eligible voters would also assure that these people receive political information that might affect their choices and encourage them to vote. Finally, the names of these non-registered-but-eligible-to-vote people would appear in the computerized file that municipalities use to match voters to polling places, thereby reducing the number of people who appear at incorrect locations and making it easier to redirect those who do.

In the state database I envision, the names of people who have not yet registered to vote would, of course, be annotated with any issues concerning their eligibility, such as a note that no citizenship declaration is on file, or noting the date on which the voter will have achieved the age of 18, or noting a previous felony conviction. These annotations would serve to draw the attention of poll workers to the specific issues which the new voters need to resolve. This would be much more useful than the Election Day free-for-all that exists now (and will continue to exist unless the Elections Board changes course and improves the voter list they are currently creating).

The overwhelming majority of eligible or potential voters' names would be available to the state system prior to Election Day. This would make it easier to register on Election Day, easier to process that information, and easier for voters to correct or augment information already in the file.