Report: Federal Appeals Court Says Wisconsin’s Voter ID Law Is Constitutional

A federal appeals court ruled on Monday that Wisconsin’s controversial voter ID law is constitutional, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion on Monday on the the law, which stipulates that voters provide photo identification at the polls before casting their ballot.

The judges said Wisconsin’s law is similar to one passed in Indiana, which the U.S Supreme Court previously declared was constitutional, according to the Associated Press story.

The Associated Press reported that state elections officials are making preparations to enforce the ID requirement for the Nov. 4 election.

Meanwhile, a group of those against the law have taken steps to continue the legal battle. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and others have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take emergency steps to block the law ahead of the upcoming election.

The law was blocked for more than two years before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago issued an order that effectively reinstated it last month.

In their motion, the law’s opponents called the appeals court previous order “a breathtaking move that guarantees chaos at the polls and irreparable disenfranchisement of many thousands of registered Wisconsin voters.”

Plaintiffs also noted that clerks had already mailed out at least 11,000 absentee ballots without voter ID instructions before the appeals court order came down.

“This after-the-fact disenfranchisement of thousands of registered Wisconsin voters who sought to exercise the franchise is unconscionable,” plaintiffs told the justices.

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