DMV to provide free documentation following voter ID ruling

Listen to this article

In the wake of a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that said it was unfair for residents to pay for documents to obtain a free photo ID for the purposes of voting, the state Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that residents soon will be able to obtain the documents for free.

The new process starts Sept. 15, according to a news release from Gov. Scott Walker’s office. Those who need to obtain an ID but do not have the documents will have to fill out an “unavailable documentation form,” as well as an application for the ID itself. There will be no charge to verify the documents.

According to the DMV’s website, the verification process on these documents will take “seven business days or more, depending upon the responsiveness of the entities being contacted.”

The new procedure was created in the wake of a ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court that upheld the state’s voter ID law, which was passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2011. In the court’s decision, Justice Pat Roggensack wrote that it is not fair for a resident to have to essentially pay to vote, which some residents may have to do if they are lacking the proper forms to obtain an ID. During oral arguments for the case — as well as a separate case challenging the law — in February, Roggensack compared this to a “poll tax.”

Despite the new DMV procedure, though, the voter ID law remains on hold, per a ruling by Eastern District of Wisconsin Judge Lynn Adelman. Oral arguments in the federal case are set for Friday in front of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Republicans have said they hope they hope the law is in effect for the elections in November.