Wisconsin: Voter ID Assistance

[Scuba]

http://www.lwvdanecounty.org/content/voter-id-assistance-project#.VBTkMJYuLCg.facebook

Voters must show a photo ID to receive a ballot at the November General Election. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has stayed the injunction against the voter photo ID provisions of 2011 Wisconsin Act 23. Information about how to obtain Voter ID has changed. This page will be updated as soon as the ramifications of this ruling have been been clarified. Please check back soon!

The League of Women Voters of Dane County announces a project to assist eligible voters in obtaining the required ID to vote, and a fund-raising drive to assist area voters to obtain the documentation necessary to get a Department of Transportation (DOT) ID for voting purposes. Citizens seeking assistance can call our office and leave a message requesting help. Tax-deductible contributions to help fund this project may be mailed to LWVDC, 2712 Marshall Court, Suite 2, Madison, WI 53705, or make a contribution now through PayPal using the Donate button below.

Donate here.

Although the Wisconsin DOT provides a free photo ID card to residents who request it for voting purposes, the documentation required to prove name, date of birth, citizenship, identity, and Wisconsin residence are not necessarily free. A certified birth certificate costs $9 to $30, depending on the state of birth, and may take weeks or months to obtain. Application requirements vary by state, but can be difficult. Thirty-five states request a copy of a government ID to send a birth certificate. Each state has different requirements for ID for people who do not have a government-issued photo ID. In addition, for anyone whose current name does not match their birth certificate, a marriage license or other document verifying the name change is also required. This has the effect of making ID requirements more challenging for women.

The Madison City Clerk’s office found that 10% of voters in the July 2011 special election did not have appropriate ID. This is consistent with the report of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School entitled Voting Law Changes in 2012, which estimates that 11% of Wisconsin voters lack acceptable photo ID. The Brennan Center report provides additional breakdown, noting that 23% of people over the age of 65 do not have photo ID acceptable for voting, and that the burdens of addressing voter ID requirements fall disproportionately on minority and low-income voters. There has been considerable confusion in Wisconsin about required documentation. People without computer access may not know how to get a birth certificate from a distant state. Transportation challenges and the cost of identity documents may make the process overwhelming.

[postulater]

1. "We won't be done until everyone who wants a job has one." - Scott Walker

Well. if Walker really did want to ensure everyone votes legally, he would declare a full scale voter registration drive from now until the election to get everyone an ID who wants one, just like his jobs program.

"We won't be done until everyone who wants an ID has one." - And Votes.

But, no.