The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced it will begin printing student IDs acceptable for voting for students who request them on Monday, according to an email from university spokesperson Kari Knutson.
Fifty-two days before the Nov. 4 statewide election, Wisconsin voters learned they would be required to show a valid photo ID at the polls to receive a ballot after a federal appeals court acted Friday to end the injunction a lower court placed on Wisconsin’s 2011 voter ID law in April.
The law requires several characteristics for IDs that UW-Madison Wiscards lack, leaving many out-of-state students without sufficient identification. Members of the Associated Students of Madison met with UW-Madison officials to address the issue, prompting Tuesday’s announcement.
After meeting with members of the ASM, UW-Madison officials announced Tuesday they would begin printing new IDs acceptable for voting to alleviate the problem, Knutson confirmed.
The new IDs must include the student’s signature and expire within two years to be valid for voting under the law. More information about obtaining voter IDs will be available early next week, Knutson said.
Friday’s decision raised logistical questions for Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board, the state agency responsible for overseeing elections. Director Kevin Kennedy said his agency will work tirelessly to implement the law before the November elections.
Kennedy added he did not anticipate decreased voter turnout across the state as a result of the law but said the provision would require more hours of training for poll workers, who are compensated for their time.
“I am not sure this has a big impact on turnout,” Kennedy said. “There are always challenges for people who lack certain types of ID, for people who are not prepared in advance and wait for the last minute.”
Gov. Scott Walker and state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen called the voter ID law a “common sense” provision for Wisconsin releases in separate statements on Friday.
Several political student organizations have worked to increase turnout at the polls among students. The Badgers for Burke coalition, sponsored by the UW-Madison College Democrats and the Young Progressives, has registered 731 students as of Tuesday evening, according to College Democrats spokesperson Elizabeth Schounard.
“The law falsely claims to eliminate a problem that does not exist, while simultaneously keeping students, minorities and low-income Wisconsinites from voting,” Schounard said in a statement. “The right to vote is one of the most basic, fundamental principles of the United States, and Act 23 unfairly restricts that right.”
Tom Gierok, chair of ASM’s Legislative Affairs Committee, shared concerns that the new policy would deter students from voting.
“I think there is a strong possibility that students will not want to take this extra step when they have already had to take so many steps just to register,” Gierok said. “The late decision is really causing a problem.”
To date, the Legislative Affairs Committee has overseen the registration of over 1,600 voters. Gierok said his organization will work on coordinating a voter outreach campaign to tell these students and those already registered about the change.
