SB 199

 

DATE:		April 23, 2009
TO:		All Legislators
FROM:		Sen. Joe Leibham, Rep. Jeff Stone and Rep. Leah Vukmir
RE:		Co-sponsorship – LRB 1074/1 – Voter Photo ID
The key block in the foundation of our American constitutional republic is our election process and the ability of our citizens to make a difference by casting a vote. Unfortunately, this foundation has been softened in recent years due to legitimate concerns regarding human administrative error and fraudulent voter activity. Far too many Wisconsinites have lost faith in our election process and no longer believe that their legally-cast vote will count. Recent Wisconsin elections have been marked with a number of abnormal “voting” schemes like absentee ballot abuse, ballots cast under names of people who had passed away and voting from non-existent addresses. These abuses have tarnished Wisconsin’s reputation for clean voting and government, and it is time that we move to recover our once-pristine image. This proposal is essentially the same as 2005 Senate Bill 42 as amended. Under this proposal, voters could use a valid Wisconsin Driver's License, a valid Wisconsin ID Card or an active military ID to vote or register to vote. For individuals who do not currently have one of these standard forms of ID, this proposal would provide Wisconsin ID cards at no cost. Furthermore, this legislation will allow elderly or infirmed voters who either cast their votes via absentee ballots via mail or vote in a nursing home or community based residential facility that is treated like a nursing home with regards to voting to include a signed written statement from a witness verifying their identity in lieu of a copy of a valid photo ID. One year ago, in a 6-3 decision, the United States Supreme Court upheld an Indiana law that required those voting or registering to vote to show valid photo identification before doing so. In his decision, Justice John Paul Stevens held that the Indiana photo ID law “is amply justified by the valid interest in protecting 'the integrity and reliability of the electoral process’”. That Indiana law was very similar to this legislation. Voter photo ID is a sensible and reasonable step toward restoring the integrity of our elections and protecting every legally cast vote. If you would like to add your name as a co-sponsor, please contact Senator Leibham’s office at 266-2056 no later than Friday, May 1, 2009.
SB 199 Bill History