A NEW FIGHT FOR PHOTO ID

A legislative column by state Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin)

 

Proponents of a photo ID requirement to vote in Wisconsin keep fighting for this common sense cause. A new effort is being waged this legislative session in Madison to enact a photo ID law and I am proud to be the main Senate co-sponsor of a photo ID bill authored by my colleague state Senator Joe Leibham that will soon be introduced.

Under our bill, voters would be able to use a valid Wisconsin Driver's License, a valid Wisconsin ID Card or an active military ID to vote or register to vote. 

A key provision of the bill would provide state of Wisconsin ID cards  without cost to individuals not having one of the required forms of identification. Elderly or infirmed voters casting their votes via absentee ballots, U.S. mail or voting in a nursing home or community based residential facility that is treated like a nursing home with regards to voting would be allowed to include a signed written statement from a witness verifying their identity in lieu of a copy of a valid photo ID. A person with a confidential as a result of domestic abuse is exempted.

The bill continues current requirements for certain electors to provide proof of residence in order to register or to vote, but discontinues the current use of having another voter vouch for someone else’s residence.

What happens if a person shows up at a polling place and fails to provide a driver’s license or ID card? Under the bill, the person may vote provisionally. A poll worker will label the ballot as provisional and immediately contact the municipal clerk or board of election commissioners. The person may then provide the required identification either at the polling place before the closing hour or at the office of the clerk or board by 4 p.m. on the day following the election.

 

If a person receives a traffic citation that is dated within 60 days of the date of an election and is required to surrender his or her Wisconsin operator’s license at the time the citation is issued, the elector may present an original copy of the citation or notice of intent to revoke or suspend the elector’s operator’s license in lieu of his or her operator’s license. If the elector is voting with an absentee ballot by mail, the elector may enclose a copy of the citation or notice in lieu of a copy of his or her operator’s license.

Supplying free ID’s to the poor shoots gigantic holes in the opponents’ main argument, that too many voters would be unable to afford them.

Another argument raised by opponents is that a photo ID requirement will disenfranchise voters, especially minorities. Hans von Spakovsky, a former commissioner on the Federal Election Commission and a former Justice Department official did some digging into the November 2008 elections and uncovered some fascinating data about photo ID and voter turnout. Von Spakovsky notes black turnout during the November 2008 election was an all-time high. He examined results from Indiana and Georgia, the two states with the strictest voter ID requirements.

Von Spakovsky found that numbers released by American University indicate Georgia had the largest turnout in the state’s history. The black share of Georgia’s vote increased from 25 percent during the 2004 election while Georgia did not have a photo ID law to 30 percent during the 2008 election while a photo ID requirement was enforced. Neighboring Mississippi that does not have a photo ID law and has a black population comparable to Georgia saw an increased turnout of just 2.35 percent.

What about Indiana, with a strict photo ID law ruled constitutional during 2008 by the U.S. Supreme Court? Von Spakovsky found that during the November 2008 election, Democrat turnout increased by 8.32 percent, the largest Democrat turnout increase in the U.S.  Neighboring Illinois that does not have a photo ID law experienced just a 4.4 percent increase. 

Von Spakovsky came to the conclusion that there is overwhelming evidence photo ID laws do not suppress voter turnout.

Voter photo ID returns confidence to our system that has been rocked by voter fraud. It ensures that every voter casting a legal ballot is not disenfranchised by a fraudulently cast ballot. Voters across Wisconsin from both parties are clamoring for this common sense public policy. I am very pleased once again to join my colleagues in support of photo ID.

If you have comments on this or any other issue, please contact me at Sen.Lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov, www.SenatorLazich.com, Senator Mary Lazich, State Capitol, P.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707 or 1-800-334-1442.