Thursday, September 18, 2008 - The Daily Cardinal

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dailycardinal.com

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Wis. election policies commended in study By Hannah Furfaro THE DAILY CARDINAL

Common Cause, a nonpartisan political advocacy group, released a report Monday examining the election laws of 10 swing states and gave Wisconsin the most positive review. Sam Oliker-Friedland, a coauthor of the study, said the group researched news articles and government reports, and interviewed election officials to find out how states handle elections and how they can prevent problems from happening in November. Wisconsin was rated highest for its law regarding voting machine allocation, which sets standards for the number of voting machines at each voting locality. This law helps prevent voters from waiting in long lines before they reach the polls. Debby Anderson Meyer, the outreach director of the watchdog group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, said the last couple of elections have seen an increase in voter turnout and Wisconsin’s turnout is “historically very high.” Meyer said Wisconsin’s same day voter registration law is beneficial. “[Citizens] can walk in and vote the same day … most states don’t have that,” Meyer said. The report gave Wisconsin an “exemplary” rating in voter identifi-

cation and mixed reviews in registration by mail, and it found statewide compliance with the Help America Vote Act “inconclusive.” HAVA requires a series of checks to ensure new voter information matches information provided in public databases and to prevent voter fraud and unlawful voting. This report was released just seven days after Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed a lawsuit against the Government Accountability Board for its failure to comply with the HAVA. Despite Wisconsin’s high rating from Common Cause, Kristen Kukowski, communications director for the Republican party of Wisconsin, said there are problems of voter credibility in the state. “Because we have seen so much voter fraud activity in our state, we need to see some progress on the voter ID aspect of things to make sure our election results are correct,” Kukowski said. Meyer said confusion, not voter fraud, was what caused problems during the 2000 presidential election. “The solution shouldn’t cause more problems,” Meyer said. “To institute a program of checks seems like taking a sledge hammer to a problem that only needs a tap.”

LORENZO ZEMELLA/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

Wisconsin’s election laws received positive reviews in a new study by Common Cause, a nonpartisan political advocacy group.

NICK KOGOS/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Chancellor Carolyn “Biddy” Martin cuts a ribbon Wednesday, signifying the launch of UW-Madison’s new fermentation lab. The $100,000 brewing equipment was donated by MillerCoors.

New UW fermentation lab equipment unveiled By Melanie Teachout THE DAILY CARDINAL

University officials unveiled MillerCoors’ $100,000 brewing equipment donation to the UWMadison bacteriology department at the Microbial Sciences Building Wednesday. The brewing equipment will be used in a new bacteriology lab for a beer fermentation course. UW-Madison undergraduate and graduate students can participate in the course in the 2009 spring semester. Directors hope to create another course for students and community members to learn the practical uses of fermentation. Chancellor Carolyn “Biddy” Martin spoke during a ribboncutting ceremony Wednesday

By Callie Rathburn THE DAILY CARDINAL

The Madison Police Department has been selected as one of seven finalists for the international Herman Goldstein Award for Excellence in Problem Oriented Policing for its work during Halloween. All seven finalists will present their problem solving strategies Sept. 22 at the 19th annual Problem-Oriented Policing Conference in Bellevue, Wash. The MPD joins the Washington State Patrol and police departments from Boston; Arlington, Texas; and the United Kingdom as finalists. “The ability to say that [our

presentation is] good enough to go share, the whole thing about being a finalist, is a huge compliment for our department, the city and our community,” MPD Central District Captain Mary Schauf said. Joel Plant, aide to Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, said being a finalist is a testament to not only MPD, but everyone involved in making Halloween in Madison safer, including UWMadison students. The MPD’s strategy is built around Scan, Analyze, Respond and Assess—known as SARA—framepolice page 3

“We certainly have talked about the legal requirements, but for tasting you must be 21.” Jon Roll faculty associate UW-Madison

According to Brandy Day, a senior majoring in microbiology, prerequisites for the new course include organic chemistry, bio-

chemistry and introduction to microbiology. With the implementation of a fermentation course, professors and directors in the bacteriology department said there were initial concerns about legal issues. Jon Roll, future professor of the fermentation course, as well as Day eliminated legal controversy over the brewing equipment by obtaining brewing permits. “We certainly have talked about the legal requirements, but for tasting you must be 21, and we have received proper alcohol permits,” Roll said. Michael Pariza, a food science professor in the College of millercoors page 3

Committee approves sidewalk cafe for bar By Abby Sears THE DAILY CARDINAL

MPD named international award finalist

about the outcome of the donation. “This collaboration is made to benefit, first and foremost, the students,” she said.

As months of construction on State Street come to an end, the owner of a popular downtown bar might get the chance to utilize the revamped area for a sidewalk café. The Madison Alcohol License Review Committee voted Wednesday to recommend a

change in the liquor license premise of Mondays, located at 523 State St., to include a sidewalk café. Mondays owner Gary Garten said the end of construction gave him an opportunity to provide patrons with outdoor seating. “I’ve always had a loading zone [in front] for the last 23 years, so I’ve never had the opportunity to

have a sidewalk café,” Garten said. “Now that they just finished reconstructing the 500 block, I don’t have the loading zone anymore.” Garten’s request for the fivetable, 18-seat sidewalk café did not come without debate. ALRC committee members questioned mondays page 3

UW starting linebacker to appear in court for DUI citation Wisconsin Badgers’ starting linebacker Jonathan Casillas will appear in Dane County court Friday to face charges of drunken driving. According to court records, Casillas was cited for a first-time drunken driving offense on Aug. 24 while driving a moped on the UW-Madison campus. Casillas was also cited for operating a vehi-

cle with a blood alcohol level over .10 and for driving with an illegal passenger. UW-Madison football head coach Bret Bielema told the Wisconsin State Journal Tuesday

CASILLAS

that the incident has been discussed internally and the linebacker will not be disciplined further. “We handled that the same way as any alcohol or drug [violation],” Bielema said, adding the case does not fall under the UW-Madison student-athlete discipline policy. “The biggest thing I was concerned about was his overall safety.”

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”


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