It takes a special kind of determination to push forward bills that are not only unnecessary, but also alienate the people you rely on to get elected.

Rep. Jeff Stone, Sen. Joe Leibham, take a bow.

Their proposed bill would require people to present a valid photo ID in order to vote, with the acceptable forms being a Wisconsin driver’s license, U.S. uniformed service ID or a Wisconsin identification card.

Let’s forget for a moment that there’s no need for this bill to be pushed through so quickly at the present moment – aside from trying to set up the more stringent requirements before spring elections. And even Leibham himself, in a magical moment of clarity, admits the effort could be a waste of time: “I respect the fact it may be logistically infeasible.”

Republicans are also trying to create an amendment in the state constitution that would make it very difficult to eliminate the requirement. A necessary move, as former Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed similar bills three times during his time in office.

Set aside the fact that the intent of the bill – to prevent voter fraud – is a waste of time, particularly given the challenges facing the Wisconsin economy. In the 2004 election, the Department of Justice’s investigation found just 18 cases of ineligible votes being cast, out of almost 3 million total votes in Wisconsin.

Focus instead on the thousands of out-of-state students attending colleges in Wisconsin who would face a needless battle to try and vote. Acquiring a Wisconsin ID card requires paying for a driver’s license – something already apathetic voters are unlikely to do. Essentially, this bill will force all out-of-state students to vote by absentee ballot in their home states – places they spend at most a third of the year in.

Georgia, which has similar photo ID requirements to vote, also has a provision that allows a valid school-issued photo ID to be used as acceptable identification. The lack of such consideration in Stone and Leibham’s bill is insulting, considering the state’s flagship school prides itself on drawing students from across the country.

Of all the demographics to alienate, the students who are building their political ideologies seems like a poor choice – unless you’re a Republican.