A planned mass deputation organized by members of Student Council on Monday night coincided with the announcement that the University of Wisconsin will be issuing voter IDs to students requiring them.

The deputation was organized by Associated Students of Madison first year representative Colin Higgins and involved 13 students. These now-official special registration deputies will be able to register other students and community members to vote.

This deputation came on the heels of the voter ID bill limiting how UW students are able to vote and legislation student government members implemented in efforts to make the voting process easier.

“[The new law] makes voting a lot more difficult for students to vote for a couple of reasons,” ASM Legislative Affairs Chair Hannah Somers said. “It’s really difficult to get proper identification, especially for out-of-state students.”

According to a UW statement released Monday, the university will be providing students who are not Wisconsin residents and lack state-issued driver licenses or identification cards with a free supplemental card to be use solely for voting purposes.

These cards will look like a regular student ID but will include students’ signatures, expire two years from issuance date and be marked “voter identification,” according to the statement. The cards will cost the university $100,000 over the next five years, the statement said. Student voting ID cards will be available at the Wiscard office in Union South starting Jan. 23.

Cards for out-of-state students are not the only measures being implemented to help ease upcoming polls. Somers said ASM sponsors a Vote Coalition to provide students with additional information and resources regarding voting and voting laws.

The coalition will begin with a voter awareness week scheduled after Thanksgiving, Somers said.

“We chose to start the coalition way before elections because we knew voter ID laws would be a problem,” she said. “We will be making sure students are registered … and making available to students as much information as we have.”

The deputies certified Monday night pose a convenience to registering students as early registration 20 days prior to elections renders proof of residency at the pools unnecessary, according to Higgins.

Higgins added that another deputation session will be scheduled to allow more students to become deputized at a later date to further ease the process of voter registration.

Providing the opportunity for students to become special registration deputies is part of the Legislative Affairs Committee’s mission to inform students on civic issues affecting them.

“We have a responsibility to make sure students are educated,” Somers said. “I think making sure that students can vote as easily as possible while in compliance with state laws is important.”

UW sophomore Rachel Lepak said this type of education is what inspired her to become deputized. 

Lepak, who said she was motivated to be deputized through her involvement with the committee, said she believes the new voter ID law is a necessary measure as it helps prevent voter fraud.

“It’s another process, but I wouldn’t say [it’s] difficult,” Lepak said. “I would say it’s time consuming.”