The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin Tuesday, claiming the state's voter ID law infringes on some citizens' rights and is unconstitutional.
The law, passed earlier this year, puts more restrictions on what types of government-issued photo IDs are allowed in elections. The lawsuit argues that permitting only certain types of identification "imposes a severe burden on the right to vote" and is in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.
"This lawsuit is the opening act in what will be a long struggle to undo the damage done to the right to vote by strict photo ID laws and other voter suppression measures," said Jon Sherman, an attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project, in a statement.
In a statement, Gov. Scott Walker's Press Secretary Cullen Werwie said the "common sense election reforms" are constitutional as they will help ensure the integrity of future elections and their results.
"At least 15 other states have enacted photo ID requirements to vote," Werwie said. "Photo ID requirements have been passed around the country and upheld by federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court."
The ACLU of Wisconsin and the National Law Center of Homelessness & Poverty are also part of the lawsuit. The groups said in a joint press release, "The lawsuit is the only active federal challenge against a voter ID law," the most typical type of legislation that they say is part of a "nationwide attack on the right to vote."
-Tyler Nickerson
