With lawmakers at the Capitol inching closer to adopting a voter identification law, the student government’s Legislative Affairs committee said at a meeting Monday night they will attempt to continue lobbying legislators for amendments to allow student IDs as proper credentials.
Last week, the Senate voted to bar any further amendments to the legislative proposal that would introduce stricter identification requirements at the polls to help prevent voter fraud.
Since 14 Democratic senators are currently in Illinois to prevent quorum for a vote on Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill, voter ID has not yet moved from the Senate to the Assembly.
Because students cannot lobby for any additional amendments on the Senate version of the bill, the Associated Students of Madison will try convincing freshman Assembly members and important Republicans to add amendments friendly to University of Wisconsin students, Legislative Affairs Chair Sam Polstein said.
Polstein said he plans to lobby new Republican representatives and one of UW’s harshest critics, Rep. Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater, who leads the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities.
“[The situation in the Senate] allows us a little bit of delay, which is good for us,” Polstein said. “The Assembly is really going to be our target for the bill’s commission; it’s where we really want to get our amendments passed.”
Members ofASMwill lobby most strongly for an amendment allowing students to use Wiscards as adequate identification at Madison-area polling places, Polstein said. Currently, the most student-friendly amendments would allow voters to present their passports before voting.
However, passports may not be enough leeway for out-of-state students who keep sensitive documents with their parents, Polstein said.
“Our IDs are safe enough to keep money on and purchase things,” Polstein said. “You should be able to vote as well with thatID.”
The bill would also increase the amount of time a voter would need to live at one address to vote to 28 days, Polstein said. He added he believes the student interest in the bill is non-partisan despite opposition coming from left-wing politicians.
Many lawmakers at the Capitol have said the legislation is not non-partisan, however. Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, said in a statement the bill is a “voter suppression measure.”
“Supporters of this measure argue it is necessary to stop voter fraud, which has proven to be partially nonexistent in Wisconsin,” Risser said in the statement.
However, Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, recently applauded the voter ID bill’s progress, saying it would prevent voter fraud in Wisconsin. She also said the bill will not lead to an inability to vote for some Wisconsinites.
“When this bill is finally signed into law, it will provide Wisconsin voters more confidence in the integrity of their elections and will not disenfranchise legitimate voters,” Lazich said in a statement.
Legislative Affairs committee members also said they will attempt to spread unofficial news that the Mifflin Street Block Party will be held April 30 because of the spring 2011 finals schedule. Polstein saidASMcannot make an official announcement or endorsement for legal liability reasons.
