Three Wisconsin congressmen are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to monitor elections in the state after concern about the state’s voter ID law.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and U.S. Reps. Mark Pocan and Ron Kind, all Democrats, wrote to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch Wednesday, requesting the agency dispatch poll monitors and “utilize any available election monitoring resources” to ensure voter ID is properly implemented.
“The right to elect our public representatives is unrivaled in its importance to a fully functioning democracy,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “With few days remaining until the election, it is imperative that we do everything in our power to limit the amount of harm caused to our state’s voters.”
The letter cited concerns raised by U.S. District Court Judge James Peterson in an ongoing legal dispute over certain provisions of the 2011 law. Voting rights advocates have reported issues obtaining voting IDs at Department of Motor Vehicle offices throughout the state.
“We have continued to see how Wisconsin’s voter ID law put the franchise of many Wisconsinites, particularly people of color, in real jeopardy,” the letter said.
Earlier this week, Peterson approved a plan put forth by the state to improve training of DMV staff and clarify the process of obtaining IDs to vote. Critics of the law have challenged the effectiveness of the plan, arguing it is not comprehensive enough and
