News & Commentary

The new session of the Wisconsin Legislature has barely begun and legislators are pushing a bill that will require all voters to present a government-issued photo ID every time they go to the polls. The bill (Senate Bill 6 - PDF) will be heard by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections Jan. 26. The ACLU has opposed these deeply flawed laws in other states. But the law as proposed in Wisconsin is the worst and most restrictive we've ever seen. To deny potentially thousands of voters the right to freely cast a ballot to fix a non-existent problem is unconscionable in a free society. While proponents of this bill say it will fix vote fraud, the state Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections will hear from voters and advocates who will testify on why the plan will have a discriminatory impact on minorities and will be a costly and ineffective attempt to prevent fraud.

Today the ACLU of Wisconsin will testify against SB 6, a bill that would require every eligible voter to show a photo ID each time they cast a ballot in a state election. While proponents of this bill say it will fix vote fraud, the state Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections will hear from voters and advocates who will testify on why the plan will have a discriminatory impact on minorities and will be a costly and ineffective attempt to prevent fraud.