The state Assembly voted 67-31 Thursday to approve a bill requiring voters to provide state-issued identification at the polls in order to vote.
Advocates of the bill said it addresses concerns raised from reports of voter fraud in Madison and Milwaukee during the 2000 presidential election by eliminating the ability for a registered voter to vouch for the identification of another voter.
The requirement of either a Wisconsin driver license or a Department of Transportation-issued card makes verification easier and prevents abuse like that reported last year, Rep. Stephen Freese, R-Dodgeville, said Tuesday.
\Twelve dead people voted in Wisconsin last year,"" he said, adding that such an instance would be greatly complicated under the legislation.
Opponents countered that the voter IDs discourage voting by groups that already have below-average turnout for elections.
When the voting process is made more difficult by turning away students without proper identification, said Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, ""what chance is there they'll come back a second time?""
""The public thinks it makes a lot of sense to have voter IDs,"" said Berceau, who voted against the bill. ""But it doesn't fix any of the problems they claim to be going after.""
She added that the bill will face a stronger challenge in the Senate, where Democrats have a majority.
""I don't think it's going to pass in the Senate,"" Berceau said. ""There are some very strong feelings in the Senate, especially with Senator Gwen Moore [D-Milwaukee] about its impact on African American voters.
""It may not even come up in the Senate.""
