Milele Coggs
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is asking the state Supreme Court to review separate rulings by two Dane County judges that declared the photo identification requirements of the “Voter ID” law unconstitutional. Mr. Van Hollen has indicated he would like the review so that the requirements could be reinstated for the November Presidential election. It is noteworthy that the photo identification requirements were NOT in place for the June 5 gubernatorial recall election, yet we saw record or near-record voter turnout with very few (if any) reports of voter fraud.
In my opinion, reinstating the photo identification requirements will serve to disenfranchise thousands of potential voters, especially low-income residents, and will diminish voter turnout during a critical Presidential election. I believe the attorney general’s request is wrong and that what is truly needed is greater voter education, and major improvements in the way poll workers are trained and supervised.
But I am urging residents to pay attention to this request from the attorney general, because it is unclear whether the Supreme Court will grant his request for review. Voters who are able should take it upon themselves to make sure they have the proper identification they will need to vote on November 6 – no matter what transpires with the court’s review. For those who face challenges in obtaining the proper identification.