All University of Wisconsin System schools will issue IDs before next year’s spring elections after Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board approved voter identification cards designed for UW Colleges Monday.

The board approved both the design and documentation process for the colleges, according to a UW Colleges statement.

The documentation, which will be provided free of charge, requires a verification of enrollment and a laminated photo. These will be needed in addition to a student ID for voting purposes, the statement said.

M. Geoffrey Murray, UW Colleges Student Governance Council president and UW-Fond du Lac’s student body president, described the process of obtaining the IDs as quick and easy.

“The process should only take around five minutes from the request to the student walking out the door with all of the documents they need to vote,” Murray said.

He also commended members of administration for the work done to make the IDs accessible for students.

The approval of the UW Colleges – consisting of 13 two-year campuses and online universities – student IDs marks the last of the UW System’s campuses to implement a card enabling students to vote.

“With the approval of UW Colleges ID cards, we can officially confirm students at all 26 UW campuses will have the ability to get new voter ID cards in time for the spring 2012 elections,” said UW System spokesperson David Giroux in an email to The Badger Herald

The voter identification cards will be made available starting the first day of the spring semester, Murray said, which is Jan. 23, 2012.

The law primarily affects out-of-state students or those without drivers licenses, so not all UW Colleges students will need to obtain an additional identification card.

Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Chair Hannah Somers said she was glad the IDs were approved and available for students.

“If there were not the option of an ID card issued by the university for voting purposes, I believe that many students would be disenfranchised,” Somers said.

UW announced in November that a supplemental ID card will be made available at Union South starting Jan. 23.

Documentation will be necessary in addition to the cards being issued from the universities.

Giroux emphasized the UW System’s acknowledgement of the importance of voting to the college experience and how each respective campus has been working to enable students to vote.

“We all know that voting is a fundamental right, but active civic engagement is also a key component of the college learning experience. With that in mind, our campuses have been working hard to comply with the new law as quickly as possible,” Giroux said.