Liberal Group Argues Against Voter ID In Brief Filed With Appeals Court

A liberal advocacy group is weighing in on Wisconsin’s federal voter identification lawsuit, telling judges that the state Department of Motor Vehicles is ill-equipped to be a gatekeeper of the ballot box.

One Wisconsin Now filed the amicus brief with the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday.

A three-judge panel from that appeals court reinstated Wisconsin’s voter ID law earlier this month just hours after hearing arguments in the case. In a brief order, the panel ruled that the issues raised against Wisconsin’s law were similar to those raised against Indiana’s in 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld voter ID requirements as constitutional. Plaintiffs have appealed that ruling to the full court.

One Wisconsin Now Director Scot Ross said that there are huge disparities between Wisconsin and Indiana when it comes to getting an ID for voting. Wisconsin, he said, has DMV locations that are fewer in number and with shorter hours.

“If Indiana is the standard by which the Supreme Court held that voter ID is constitutional, it simply cannot be administered constitutionally here in the state of Wisconsin,” said Ross.

One Wisconsin Now filed similar briefs in state lawsuits challenging voter ID where the law was ultimately upheld by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The group had not initially filed in the federal lawsuit, but Ross said that the recent federal ruling changed things.

“The reason we have decided to file now is because Wisconsin hasn’t done anything to rectify this real problem,” said Ross.

It’s up to the court to decide whether or not to accept One Wisconsin Now’s amicus brief. The full 7th Circuit also has to decide whether to even hear an appeal of the voter ID ruling. The court gave Wisconsin’s Department of Justice a Tuesday deadline to respond to that possibility.