2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumMy elderly father will lose the right to vote in Wisconsin because of voter ID
My dad doesn't post here, but wanted me to relay his weeklong struggle to exercise his right to vote in Wisconsin.
He moved here from another state a few months ago and easily registered his car here, but was told that he could wait to renew his drivers license until it expired next year. He's on a very limited income so this appealed to him.
Then voter ID went through. He went to the city clerk to make sure he could still vote like he did in the Spring election, but was told he needed a Wisconsin ID. He gathered his SS card and the certified birth certificate from his non-WI birth state. It was fine to get a passport.
So last week he went to the "express" DMV 30 minutes from his home. They were apparently closed, even though he was there during business hours. He went back on Monday. Handwritten sign saying they were closed.
He went back today and was told he could not get a WI Drivers license there but had to go to the "big" DMV twenty minutes northeast.
So he drove there. And waited in another long line. He was told at the counter that they could not accept a certified copy of his birth certificate. It had to be original. He was born 1000 miles from here.
He was certain he had the original. Went all the way back home, found his original birth certificate from the 1930s. Drove back to the DMV. He was told that was a "hospital" original, not a state original. They would not give him a drivers license. They gave him the address if the records department in his birth state but it is unlikely he will get the certificate in time to be able to vote in Wisconsin.
This is an elderly man in good health with a car and time to drive to the DMV four times in a week. He lives here now and has already voted in Wisconsin. He has honorably served his country in our military. He has lived in the US and voted here in various states as he has moved a few times in his 8 decades.
And the GOP has denied him his right to vote next month.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)Starting with Kochs and Walker!
AllyCat
(15,987 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)Or the whole lot of 'em?
AllyCat
(15,987 posts)What about Randa? And the panel of Repub picks that let this beast through.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)the obstructionists to blab their whining asses on the Senate floor!
Tom Udall tried to get a filibuster rewrite through, but Harry failed all of us.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)MBS
(9,688 posts)marlakay
(11,349 posts)If this happened to my mom who is 86 I would be livid. I am sure like her each one of those trips was not a easy just jump in the car like the rest of us.
To me this is pure elder abuse, and goes even beyond the voting issue.
In Seattle they have a guy on King 5 I think his name is Jesse that you can call with problems and they try to fix it and show story online. There must be some station in WI that does something similar.
AllyCat
(15,987 posts)We'll see if they print it.
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)Don't let him just write his one local newspaper. Phone every major newspaper in the state on his behalf. Also contact his Representative, even if that person is a Republican asshole. And make sure every reporter you contact knows you've also contacted the Rep.
Stories like this need very wide publicity.
ellie
(6,927 posts)I don't.
AllyCat
(15,987 posts)All I can get is a certified copy. And what does anyone do who has changed their name?
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)What they have is a certified copy and the OP's father was given a line of utter bullshit. The original certificate is held by the state and no one can obtain their "original" birth certificate.
Lefta Dissenter
(6,616 posts)Ugh
AllyCat
(15,987 posts)He's really angry and trying to figure out who to call first.
Half-Century Man
(5,279 posts)Last edited Tue Oct 7, 2014, 03:39 PM - Edit history (1)
A fairly significant amount of them have lost funds (the DMV among them).
I doubt this is accidental.
The budget for operating polling places does not now have, nor is any set aside for, extra funding planned to handle the increased load that will be caused by the ID law. As per plan; Not only are the persons without ID targeted, but people with IDs are sure to have long wait times. Voting this year will require patience and dedication. All in an effort to suppress voting.
On Edit: more here
http://bloggingblue.com/2014/08/voter-suppression-in-wisconsin/
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)provides certified copies only, which are legally equivalent to the original. They are valid in any court in the nation.
This doesn't pass the smell test. Get the media involved, and hire an attorney.
kath
(10,565 posts)Here is the info straight from the WI DMV's website:
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/docs/bds316-english.pdf
take his passport, driver's license from previous state ( even if it is now expired), military discharge papers if he has them (good to have - when he passes away, family can get some breaks on funeral costs if he is a veteran)
A passport is pretty much the gold standard in terms of proving identity and citizenship.
On edit -- per the website, also need to have proof of his SS number.
MBS
(9,688 posts)I hope it helps his dad!
AllyCat
(15,987 posts)Even if it helps, how many voters without ID in Wisconsin have passports?
SmittynMo
(3,544 posts)Get his ass out of office. I bet this SOB is smiling if he reads this.
snacker
(3,619 posts)Need help getting an ID? Problem trying to vote? Call 1 (866) OUR-VOTE / 1 (866) 687-8683
kath
(10,565 posts)"ID Card applicants must be U.S. Citizens, at least 17 years of age, and indicate that the ID card is required free of charge for the purposes of voting; and
ID Card applicants must claim that documents required to prove U.S. Citizenship, name and date of birth and/or legal name change are unavailable and require a fee to a government agency to obtain."
Specify that he would have to pay a fee to get a certified copy of his birth certificate, and bring the other documents they specify.
Hope that will be enough. And note that he should be able to get the voter ID for FREE.
Fuck the goddam Repblicans for putting people through this bullshit!
On edit, might as well bring the expired passport anyway, just to add one more piece of info to the pile.
And another edit - under the situation in the part I quoted above ( would require fee to get birth certif), it looks like he will be able to get a voter ID ( not a driver's license) if he fillsout the Unavailable Documentation Form and shows his DL from another state (valid or expired 8 yrs or less) or military discharge papers for the "Proof of Identity" requirement.
Also will need a utility bill, account statement or somesuch to show current WI address for the "Proof of WI Residency" requirement . see the site linked by the poster above.
AllyCat
(15,987 posts)So if he wants an ID to vote, he has to forfeit his out-of-state DL, making it illegal to drive a car. He can get the free ID if he is willing to give up the right to drive his car.
kairos12
(12,794 posts)kath
(10,565 posts)That little detail is bullshit, since clearly he had to provide detailed documentation in order to get the passport in the FIRST place. Shouldn't matter if it is expired.
One thing to note - if any document expired AFTER Nov. 7 2012, then it still can be used.
Laffy Kat
(16,330 posts)But the Colorado DMV wouldn't accept my Passport in lieu of a birth certificate. It wasn't for vote reg., I think it was for renewing my DL, but it was a long time ago. I remember having to go back three friggin' times.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Can he give a good interview? Does he have a certain charm and joie de vivre? He should call a news producer and charm the living shit out of them--come off as engaged, convivial, and elderly.
He needs to start calling TV stations until someone will come and interview him. Give 'em a time limit, and then say he's going on to the next candidate.
He should conceal his party affiliation if possible--always better to appeal to both sides of the street.
He has passport that will work as ID.
3catwoman3
(23,747 posts)...despicable. Tar and feathers sounds good to me.
elleng
(129,775 posts)AND the media.
And thank him for his efforts.
Mister Nightowl
(396 posts)K&R and I hope you'll do the same.
dragonlady
(3,577 posts)01:00 PM - The Kathleen Dunn Show - Everything You Need To Know - To Vote:
With all of the confusion about Voting, Voter ID, Absentee Ballots - this hour Kathleen welcomes three guests who will give you everything you need to know in order to cast your vote in the upcoming Nov. 4th election. Guests: Chris Ahmuty, Kevin Kennedy, Neil V. Albrecht
AllyCat
(15,987 posts)Jamaal510
(10,893 posts)what keep me motivated to vote in every election. How dare the GOP deny people a basic Constitutional right! I hope Karma comes back to bite them in the you-know-what. Their party deserves to become irrelevant after all the shady stuff they've done over the decades.