A panel of three federal appeals judges reinstated Wisconsin’s 2011 voting identification requirement Friday after a lower court had placed an injunction on the bill before the November elections.
After U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Adelman ruled the law unconstitutional, the Department of Transportation and other state agencies implemented policy changes the judges on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals say make the law sufficient for implementation before November.
“After the district court’s decision, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin revised the procedures to make it easier for persons who have difficulty affording any fees to obtain the birth certificates or other documentation needed under the law, or to have the need for documentation waived,” the opinion said.
Last week the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Health Services announced new procedures for obtaining verifying documents to obtain a photo ID sufficient for voting.
The three judges will release a full opinion with complete legal reasoning at a later date, according to the opinion.
State Rep. Mandela Barnes, D-Milwaukee, says the decision will make it harder for thousands of Wisconsinites to vote in the midterm elections on November 4.
“I think it’s a huge vehicle for disenfranchisement,” Barnes said. “It’s so eerie that this close to the election, the decision was made about voter ID to lift the injunction.”
Gov. Scott Walker called the measure a “common sense solution that protects the integrity of our elections,” according to a statement.
Kevin Kennedy, director of the Government Accountability Board, said in a statement the board is moving to implement the requirement quickly before the elections this fall.
Barnes said the issue will be a top priority for his colleagues in the new legislative term next year.
“Absolutely no way we’re throwing in the towel,” Barnes said. “I think this is one of those things that’s going to backfire. It has to be something we work to get rid of in a way that it won’t come back at all.”
Wisconsin residents may obtain a free state-issued photo ID for the express purpose of voting at any Department of Motor Vehicles service center.
