Fair Elections Center released the following statement by Counsel Beauregard Patterson regarding the Wisconsin Assembly’s passage of AJR1 and SJR2 to add a photo ID requirement for voting late yesterday:
Fair Elections Center is deeply disappointed by the Wisconsin Legislature’s efforts to put Voter photo ID laws into the state constitution. These laws, which prevent people from voting if they do not show an ID from a short list of choices, make it harder for American citizens to vote. That is especially true for certain groups like racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly, low-income individuals, people with disabilities, and unhoused voters. Many of these people have trouble getting government-issued photo ID because of things like cost, having a hard time getting to a government office, or complicated paperwork such as trying to get an out-of-state birth certificate. Because of these laws, there are voting-age citizens who have been denied their right to vote. We should focus on removing barriers to voting, not adding new ones. The right to vote is a cornerstone of American democracy, and that freedom should be available to all citizens, regardless of their background or circumstances.