Opinion: Editorial
The devil’s in the details
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This week, Republicans in the state Senate face their last chance to force a vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would require photo identification at the polls for Wisconsin voters. It certainly is disquieting that Wisconsinites can vote with nothing more than the ability to cite a registered name and address. But while we support the concept of a voter ID law, this amendment places an unnecessary burden on out-of-state students.
Similar proposals to mandate photo identification at the polls have been met with vetoes by Gov. Jim Doyle due to concerns over disenfranchising impoverished voters and senior citizens. Indeed, Wisconsin’s high turnout rates are due, in part, to our accommodating election policy, including same-day registration and open primaries. The lack of obstacles encourages first-time student voters to enter the polls with a piece of mail or lease agreement and leave with their vote tallied.
Wisconsin citizens can be comforted by the fact that we haven’t seen widespread instances of voter fraud. Still, irregularities do exist, as extensively detailed in a recent Milwaukee Police Department report on the 2004 presidential election. We believe the state must take proactive steps to improve existing law, rather than react to a future crisis. Under current law, gaming the system to engineer a false majority is unacceptably easy.
Because voter ID legislation has consistently been vetoed by Mr. Doyle, its sponsors are looking to pass the proposal via an amendment to the state constitution. To pass, the language must be approved once more by the state Senate and put before voters in a November referendum. If the current amendment is not approved by the end of the week, the process must begin anew — the proposal must pass in consecutive legislative sessions to be placed on the ballot.
While we agree with the spirit of the amendment, we are troubled by its implications for the student population. Assembly Joint Resolution 17 reads, in part:
“A qualified elector may not vote, or register to vote, at the polls on election day unless the elector presents a photographic identification issued by this state or by the federal government…”
Because so many students possess only out-of-state driver’s licenses as identification, the amendment would essentially nullify the benefits of same-day registration by requiring many students to request a new ID beforehand. A voter ID proposal would be more palatable for the campus community if residents were permitted to use out-of-state identification accompanied by a lease or piece of official mail to verify their current residence.
Securing the integrity of public elections is a laudable goal, but so is maximizing public participation. If state Republicans draft an amendment that addresses our concern, they can count on our support.
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Why not be able to use a student ID? After all, you need a driver’s license or a passport in order to get a student ID here at UW.
The state voter turn out is because people can vote 10 times!
Why not vote by Social Security number? That’ll cut way back on fraud.