WISCONSIN’S VOTER ID LAWS

Voter identification laws became more mainstream in Wisconsin after the passage of Act 23 in 2012. Act 23 required all persons to have some type of photo identification, passport, driver’s license, etc, and proof of residency to vote or request a mail-in ballot. Due to the act’s lack of exceptions, it has been challenged on several occasions since its enactment in 2012. After years of lawsuit, the voter ID requirements came into full effect just in time for the 2016 election. Strict voter ID laws aim to target lower-income voters as it disproportionately affects those who do not drive, have a passport, or can’t easily obtain proof of residency document. 

A CBS article that was published in 2017, speaks with a few of the 300,00 affected voters in Wisconsin about their own experiences with the voter ID laws. One woman, who had chronic lung disease and an injured knee, went to the polls with her medicare card and social security card, after she lost her driver’s license the day before, but she was turned away. Her case, which led to her being denied the right to vote because of a simple mistake, is very common. Not everyone has a driver's license and many people have expired ones if any. In the 2020 election, voters were required to have a diverse license, a state ID, passport, military ID, naturalization papers, or tribal ID to vote. The state also allows voters to fill out provisional ballots if they return in a few days with the proper identification (CBS). Strict voter ID laws are made in hope of lowering voter fraud. But others say they simply disenfranchise voters. 

In the 2020 election, President Trump has tried to capitalize on the fraud narrative by spreading lies about the election proceeding. There is simply not significant evidence of widespread voter fraud ironically laws like Wisconsin’s voter ID make sure of that. Additionally, mail-in ballots require that your signature on file matches the one on the ballot, again getting rid of the possibility of fraud. What President Trump is actually getting at is the natural human error of elections. The signature does not match, the voter does fill out their ballot correctly, and a lack of a secrecy ballot were all common reasons ballots got thrown out this election cycle. Election officials are bound by the law to carry out their job of counting the voting without jeopardizing the integrity of the election. So they have no incentive to systematically throw out votes. 

After the election was over, Trump filed a series of lawsuits claiming voter fraud from a number of different angles, from claiming that votes were tampered with to duplicate ballots were cast. As of November 27, Trump had filed around 30 lawsuits, many of which have already been dismissed due to lack of evidence. However, he has not given up yet. On December 1, 2020, he filed his second lawsuit against Wisconsin's Election Commission. Lawyers from both sides of the aisle have said that this case, and any of his other cases, are unlikely to change the outcome of the election.