Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Voter ID injunction affect on absentee ballots

As the result of a hotly contested injunction to stop enforcement of the voter ID law, University of Wisconsin students and Wisconsin residents no longer have to present photo identification in order to receive an absentee ballot or cast a vote for the upcoming primary election.

This measure comes as a result of a March 6 ruling by Dane County Circuit Court Judge David Flanagan, which called for a halt to enforcing this law.

With the injunction, students can expect to take the same approach in requesting an absentee ballot or casting a vote as they have in the past, which includes presenting one’s name, address and a signature, Maribeth Witzel-Behl, Madison city clerk, said.

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“For this election, spring break for UW is at the same time as the spring elections, so we anticipate that there will be a lot more absentee voting, just because people will be out of town,” Witzel-Behl said.

There are approximately 39,000 out-of-state residents in the UW system, David Giroux, a spokesperson for the UW System, said in an email to The Badger Herald.

Due to the timing of Wisconsin’s primary election this year, many of these students may need to rely on an absentee ballot in order to cast a vote, he said.

Although university students are affected by the new ruling, a statement from Milwaukee Alder Ray Harmon said many opponents of the legislation contend underrepresented citizens will be hurt the most.

James Hall, president of the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP, said in a statement all citizens of Wisconsin, including the elderly and non-English speakers, could potentially reap the benefits of this ruling.

“Judge Flanagan respected the history of Wisconsin and the state constitution – which emphasizes access for voters and expansion of the franchise,” Voces de la Frontera Executive Director Christine Neumann-Ortiz said in a statement.

The injunction serves as a temporary measure and could still be get repealed, Graeme Zielinski, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said in an email to The Badger Herald.

The voter ID law states that voters must present either a Wisconsin driver’s license, Wisconsin Department of Transportation-issued identification card, military ID card or a U.S. passport in order to vote at the polls.

Although the matter could be settled through litigation, Zielinski said Gov. Scott Walker’s administration also has the ability to reverse the legislation.

If the injunction is appealed and overturned, it would mark the first time in Wisconsin history that voting rights of this magnitude would be taken from citizens, Zielinski said.

The act, which passed last year, was an attempt to curtail voter fraud in the state of Wisconsin, although the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign maintains identity fraud in the voting process rarely occurs.

A hearing to proceed with the injunction is scheduled for April 16.

“We know that this kind of justice does not come easily, and we are prepared to continue fighting any efforts to strip this hard-earned right away,” Neumann-Ortiz said in the Voces statement.

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