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University of Wisconsin-Madison
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dailycardinal.com
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
ACLU sues state over voter ID requirement
Stephanie Daher/the daily cardinal
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the current system to monitor secondhand store transactions is ineffective. He supported the new ordinance involving electronic records.
Council passes stricter pawn shop regulations The Madison Common Council passed a new ordinance Tuesday that requires pawn shops and other secondhand stores to report sales directly to police in an effort to combat crime. Going into effect Feb. 1, the ordinance requires businesses involved in selling items back to the store to notify police of all transactions. While businesses are currently required by law to report transactions, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, the present system is ineffective. “The reality is that it is a very antiquated system done on paper,” Verveer said. “We’ve really had no enforcement.” According to Madison Police Department Captain Jim Wheeler, detectives are unable to effectively monitor suspicious pawnshop transactions due to outdated procedures, but the new system simplifies tracking trends between secondhand store transactions and crime. “This gives our property detectives a tool to get this informa-
tion and hopefully put a dent into some of the crimes that are being committed,” Wheeler said. Wheeler said this automated system creates a more streamlined approach assisting the police department in looking for trends in stolen goods. This ordinance aims to keep criminals from bringing in stolen goods for cash. “We’re making it harder for criminals to be rewarded for their
crime,” Verveer said. Verveer said this ordinance particularly affects students because they are highly vulnerable to burglaries. “For students and non-students alike, it will help lessen the possibility that they become crime victims, and if they are, that the perpetrators be brought to justice and stolen property be recovered and returned to victims,” Verveer said. —Abby Becker
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin Tuesday, claiming the state’s voter ID law infringes on some citizens’ rights and is unconstitutional. The law, passed earlier this year, puts more restrictions on what types of governmentissued photo IDs are allowed in elections. The lawsuit argues that permitting only certain types of identification “imposes a severe burden on the right to vote” and is in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. “This lawsuit is the opening act in what will be a long struggle to undo the damage done to the right to vote by strict photo ID laws and other voter suppression measures,” said Jon Sherman, an attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project, in a statement. In a statement, Gov. Scott Walker’s Press Secretary Cullen Werwie said the “common sense election reforms” are constitutional as they will help ensure the integrity of future elections and their
results. “At least 15 other states have enacted photo ID requirements to vote,” Werwie said. “Photo ID requirements have been passed around the country and upheld by federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.”
“This lawsuit is the opening act in what will be a long struggle to undo the damage done to the right to vote.” Jon Sherman attorney American Civil Liberties Union
The ACLU of Wisconsin and the National Law Center of Homelessness & Poverty are also part of the lawsuit. The groups said in a joint press release, “The lawsuit is the only active federal challenge against a voter ID law,” the most typical type of legislation that they say is part of a “nationwide attack on the right to vote.” —Tyler Nickerson
City approves winter shelter City officials unanimously passed an ordinance allowing an empty Don Miller auto dealership showroom on East Washington Avenue to be used as a “daytime resource center” for the homeless. Through Porchlight, Inc., which operates a homeless shelter near campus, the empty showroom will serve as an alternate shelter for the homeless.
The homeless previously used the Central Library and Capitol basement for shelter in the winter, but with the library closing and restrictions on Capitol access, the homeless are forced to seek other options. Dave Peters, Madison resident and advocate for Homes for All, said the people “in the city have a responsibility to deal with this problem.”
Der Rath to introduce more authentic menu When the Memorial Union’s Der Rathskeller restaurant reopens next semester, students can expect to see some changes to das Menü. Der Rathskeller’s website promises that when the campus returns from winter break, “customers will experience a new level of dining.” Currently, Der Rathskeller’s menu primarily features tradi-
tional American food staples like cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and fries. But on its revamped menu, the iconic German beer hall-themed Union hangout will match its meals to its atmosphere. Breakfast features include corned beef and scrambled egg paninis with “kartuffle latkes,” or potato pancakes, on the side. Nighttime and afternoon
fare features “hand-patted Der Kronjuwel Burgers,” apple and cheddar paninis and “Bouletten” German meatballs. Der Rathskeller closes at 5 p.m. Dec. 23, and will debut the new menu when it reopens at the start of spring semester. In the meantime, Memorial Union’s Lakefront on Langdon dining hall will remain open for the majority of winter break.
PUPPIES
Cuter than Ryan Gosling?
Dogs on Call visited Chadbourne Residential College Tuesday with numerous pups, including Charlotte the French Bulldog, to help relieve residents of finals stress. + Photo by Grace Liu
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”