The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) passed legislation advocating for Wiscards to become valid forms of Wisconsin voter ID on April 16, bolstering the Student Voters Unions (SVU) campaign to reduce voting barriers for University of Wisconsin-Madison students.
While five other University of Wisconsin System schools currently have voter-compliant student ID cards, UW-Madison’s Wiscard lacks a signature and two-year expiration date, two factors that would make it compliant with Wisconsin state voting laws.
If Wiscards become valid voter IDs, out-of-state students would not need to print a separate voter ID through the Wiscard office, Genevieve Lambert, SVU Vice President, told The Daily Cardinal. "It’ll make elections run smoother and the process of physically voting smoother for students."
SVU member and ASM intern Ava Berg agreed, emphasizing how making the Wiscard a valid form of voter ID would create one less barrier for UW-Madison student voters.
“Obtaining the voter ID, that's a challenge. The secondary ID, that's another barrier, and especially with the line on election day, it just creates a whole hassle. The Wiscard creates one less step for students,” Berg said.
The next step would be meeting with the Wiscard office to discuss implementing two changes: reducing the five-year expiration date to two years and adding a signature to the card.
Berg said they hope to work with the Wiscard office in the future, though it's proven challenging. "I see that as more of a project for next semester,” she said.
Berg said the ASM legislation helps “add legitimacy” to SVU’s goals. Lambert told the Cardinal current Wisconsin voter ID laws are among the strictest in the country. Current compliant voter IDs include United States passports, Uniformed Services Cards, Veterans Affairs IDs, tribal IDs and Wisconsin state driver's licenses, but out-of-state drivers licenses are not eligible, according to Lambert.
“We're accepting more and more out-of-state students, and they have every right to vote here. The residency requirement is only 28 days,” Lambert said. “The issue is, they don't have Wisconsin-issued driver's licenses, and how many students bring their passport with them to college?”
Furthermore, this two-year expiration date would not affect students' current use of Wiscards after the card has ‘expired.’
"The expiration date doesn't mean that after that point, you can't use [the Wiscard],” Lambert explained. For voter ID purposes, she said “it's just about the printed date.”
Lambert also noted the campaign has generated bipartisan student support amongst SVU members.
“All citizen students should be able to vote and it should be as accessible as possible,” Lambert said. “Making their voice heard is and ought to be a nonpartisan issue.”
