The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and United Wisconsin have raised concerns over a voter ID bill currently circulating in the Wisconsin State Assembly. The bill would require all electors to provide proof of residence in order to vote, with the exception of military and overseas electors.
This is in contrast to the current law, which requires proof of residence only from electors who register to vote by mail and have not voted in a previous election in Wisconsin or from those who register after voter registration has closed.
LWVWI said voting was a “fundamental citizen right” and that the state should “maximize opportunity for registration,” according to a statement.
Lisa Subeck, Executive Director of United Wisconsin, raised additional concerns over the bill, saying a small group of eligible voters would be affected and could even mean “the difference between being able to exercise the right to vote and not voting at all.”
She also gave examples of elderly citizens and young adults, both of whom face difficulties primarily because they do not satisfy the specific requirements for proof of residence.
Subeck then alluded to underprivileged families who could not vote according to the new law, simply because they lack shelter, and “spend time on the streets.” She ended her testimony by saying the laws directed the state back to “the days when only landowners could vote” and that the law disenfranchises “a seemingly targeted set of demographics,” according to the statement.
Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, and Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, did not return calls to comment.
