In a reaction similar to the one following North Carolina’s March 15 primary election, Wisconsin liberals are protesting that the state’s voter ID laws impaired voter rights and complicated processes during its April 5 primary.
The Huffington Post recently reported that some voters — particularly those with lower incomes or disabilities — were prevented by Wisconsin’s ID regulations from casting a ballot. The article cited Leroy Switlick, a blind, 67-year-old voter from Milwaukee, as a person who was eligible vote but could not obtain acceptable identification documents prior to the election.
Switlick applied for an ID card and presented proper documentation at the Division of Motor Vehicles, but was told that he was not eligible for a card unless he also had a current valid photo identification.
“How do I get an ID card if I don’t have an ID card?” Switlick asked. “They should make it easier to vote, not see how hard they can make it.”
While Switlick was not able to cast a regular ballot, he was not prevented from voting, and cast a provisional ballot for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Wisconsin joins North Carolina as one of 17 states requiring voters to present photo IDs at the polls. Gov. Scott Walker signed the rule into law in 2011, and continues to view it favorably as a protection against voter fraud.
“Huge turnout … shows that the photo ID law works just fine,” Gov. Walker tweeted on April 6 tweet. “Easy to vote, but hard to cheat.”
Official data confirmed that, in spite of negative reports from opposition groups, the state saw a record voter turnout of 47 percent statewide.
But other officials continue to contest that the voter ID rule is simply a bad idea.
“There is only one motivation for imposing burdens on voting that are ostensibly designed to discourage voter-imperson fraud, if there is no actual danger of such fraud, and that is to discourage voting by persons likely to vote against the party responsible for imposing the burdens,” wrote Judge Richard Posner of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Critics in North Carolina have made similar claims that the Tar Heel State’s ID requirement suppressed voters and created complications during the state’s March 15 primary. State officials rebutted such accusations, pointing to early voting and record turnout numbers.
“More voters participated in Tuesday’s election than in any prior primary, said Josh Lawson, the elections board’s general counsel. “Early voting was also a huge success, surpassing 2008 and 2012. A total of 2.3 million voters cast primary ballots, which was 35.3 percent of registered voters.”
Critics also said the law needlessly confused voters who were unprepared for the new ID requirement.
But those claims are unfounded, according to Lawson.
“For three years, the State Board has educated and assisted voters to prepare the state for voter ID,” Lawson said. “That effort was funded at about $1 million a year, and included mailings to every household, poll worker training, television ads, and targeted assistance to voters.”
To read more about the controversy surrounding North Carolina’s voter ID law, click here.