By Jessie Opoien | The Capital Times
Planning to vote in Tuesday's primary election? Unsure about how the conflicting state and federal rulings on Wisconsin's Voter ID law affect what's required of you?
Here's the short answer: You don't need a photo ID to vote in Wisconsin on Tuesday.
The longer answer: The state Supreme Court ruled on July 31 that the Voter ID provision of Act 23 is constitutional, adjusting the law to require that people can't be forced to pay any government fees to obtain a state-issued ID.
But because of a federal court ruling, the photo ID requirement isn't in effect for the time being. An April 29 decision from U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman found that the ID requirement violated the U.S. Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act. The state Department of Justice appealed the decision, but for now, the Voter ID provision remains blocked.
Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has also asked the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to lift the injunction in time for the Nov. 4 general election, citing the state Supreme Court's decision as an argument.
If the injunction is lifted before the general election, the state Government Accountability Board has said it, along with local election officials, will immediately publicize the requirement and give guidance on how to implement it.
For the primary election, the GAB has communicated with poll workers to let them know that anyone who asks for an ID runs the risk of being in contempt of court.
The Associated Press reported that officials with the American Civil Liberties Union and the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin are concerned that confusion over the ID requirements could result in some people choosing not to vote at all on Tuesday.
"We took the additional step of communicating with the clerks to let them know about the status of the law to make sure everybody was on the same page, but we are not overly concerned that the public is confused somehow," said GAB spokesman Reid Magney.