Federal Court Rules Against Restrictive Wisconsin Voter ID Law
Affiliate:
ACLU of Wisconsin
July 19, 2016 3:45 pm
MILWAUKEE — A federal trial court today ruled that voters who have trouble obtaining identification under Wisconsin’s strict voter ID law can vote by affidavit. The American Civil Liberties Union brought the challenge on behalf of Wisconsin voters.
Sean Young, an attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, responded to today’s decision:
“Wisconsin’s voter ID law has been a mistake from day one. This ruling is a strong rebuke of the state’s efforts to limit access to the ballot box. It means that a failsafe will be in place in November for voters who have had difficulty obtaining ID.”
The ruling is at: /legal-document/frank-v-walker-motion-granted
More information is at: /cases/frank-v-walker-fighting-voter-suppression-wisconsin
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Frank v. Walker: Fighting Voter Suppression in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s voter ID law is one of the harshest in the country and requires voters to produce one of a few specified forms of photo identification in order to vote. This restriction imposes a substantial burden on the right to vote by requiring photo identification that many voters do not have, and that many voters cannot easily obtain, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. In addition, the Wisconsin voter ID law violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits the use of voting practices that have a negative impact on racial and language minorities. The law has a disproportionate impact on black and Latino voters, who are twice as likely to lack photo ID accepted for voting in Wisconsin compared to white voters.
Explore case
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Wisconsin’s voter ID law is one of the harshest in the country and requires voters to produce one of a few specified forms of photo identification in order to vote. This restriction imposes a substantial burden on the right to vote by requiring photo identification that many voters do not have, and that many voters cannot easily obtain, in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. In addition, the Wisconsin voter ID law violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits the use of voting practices that have a negative impact on racial and language minorities. The law has a disproportionate impact on black and Latino voters, who are twice as likely to lack photo ID accepted for voting in Wisconsin compared to white voters.
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