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Although he has signaled opposition to same-day voter registration, Gov. Scott Walker accompanied his college-age son to a Wauwatosa polling place to register and vote on Aug. 14 - the day of the GOP Senate primary.

Matt D. Walker, a freshman at Marquette University, registered to vote at Jefferson School in Wauwatosa, just blocks from the Walker home, according to election records.

A witness who was at the polling place told the Journal Sentinel that the governor accompanied his son.

In a speech in California last month, Walker said he was considering ending same-day voter registration but has since said it won't be a priority for him in the next legislative session.

Walker also said that proponents of same-day registration, some of whom held a news conference this week urging him to leave the issue alone, had turned it into a "ridiculous issue."

"My priority is about jobs, creating jobs. . . . It's not a part of my legislative priorities. It hasn't been something we've talked about," Walker said.

Jocelyn Webster, a Walker spokeswoman, said Friday in an email that the governor had made it clear in a Journal Sentinel 2010 candidate survey that ending same-day registration would make election day operations more efficient for poll workers.

"At the same time, he believes people can and should use any registration opportunity legally available to them, and same-day registration currently is," Webster said. "All this said, the governor has repeatedly said legislation on this issue is not a priority for him. If Matt did register on election day, I think it would highlight that point."

Two Republicans - Rep. Joel Kleefisch of Oconomowoc and Sen. Alberta Darling of River Hills - are writing a bill to end election-day registration.

Kleefisch said he believed there was a greater potential for fraud or simple errors with election-day registration. That's a charge supporters of the law, which has been on the books for 35 years, have disputed.

Proponents say the law encourages turnout and has made Wisconsin a traditionally high-turnout state.

In Milwaukee alone, more than 57,000 people registered on Nov. 6. The Milwaukee Election Commission said much of the same-day turnout occurred in wards at or near the Marquette University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Milwaukee School of Engineering campuses.