News & Commentary

1.    Voter ID is in effect in Wisconsin. You need a photo ID to vote in person on Election Day, to vote early in person at the clerk’s office, and (for most voters) to vote absentee by mail. 2.    Most voters need one of the following kinds of photo ID to vote: •    Wisconsin drivers' license (current or expired since 11/4/14) (If you have this you do NOT need any other “voter ID” card.) •    Wisconsin photo ID card (from DMV) (current or expired since 11/4/14) •    U.S. Passport (current or expired since 11/4/14) •    Uniformed services ID (current or expired since 11/4/14, or “indefinite” with no expiration date) •    Veteran’s Administration ID (VA ID) (unexpired) •    Photo ID from federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin •    Naturalization certificate from the two years before an election •    Student ID from a Wisconsin college or university IF the ID has name, photo, signature, issuance date, & expiration date no more than 2 years from issuance date, PLUS proof of enrollment. (Here’s info on which colleges have ID you can use to vote: http://www.commoncausewisconsin.org/2016/03/wi-college-university-students-must-act.html )

  ----------- If you have other questions or concerns about voter registration, “Like” Wisconsin Election Protection on Facebook & message or post questions or concerns there. If you do not have access to Facebook, you can email questions or concerns to vote@aclu-wi.org and we will respond as soon as we can. You can also call the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) at 1-866-VOTE-WIS (1-866-868-3947).

Important things to know:

Important things to know about Voter ID (from the Government Accountability Board)

A copy of the Wisconsin Election Protection Report on the November 2014 Elections can be found here. The League of Women Voters Election observer report can be found here.

The American Civil Liberties Union today asked a federal district court to bolster access to the ballot for Wisconsin voters by permitting more types of acceptable identification for voting, and by allowing people who have difficulty obtaining identification to vote by affidavit.

This past Saturday morning, I had the privilege of speaking at Community Brainstorming, a weekly forum held at St. Matthew's CME Church. The topic was the Supreme Court's recent decision in Shelby County. Although Shelby County is often simply described as "gutting" the Voting Rights Act, it actually struck down the 48 year old formula by which certain states are required to seek the permission of the federal Department of Justice before they can implement any change in their election laws. Denying or abridging the right to vote on the basis of race continues to be prohibited by the Voting Rights Act and the United States Constitution. I don't want to repeat the arguments for and against the result in Shelby County. Wisconsin was never one of these pre-clearance jurisdictions. I want to make a larger point about federalism.

Cross posted from the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.

The ACLU of Wisconsin does not endorse candidates, so we did not have a partisan stake in the outcome of yesterday’s election. However, we are committed to ensuring that Wisconsin citizens can cast a ballot without misinformation, intimidation or barriers. We focused our efforts leading up to November 6 on educating voters about their rights and working alongside partners in the Wisconsin Election Protection 866 OUR VOTE hotline project and poll watching.