In response to the 7th Circuit’s ruling on Wisconsin’s voter ID law, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-4) sent the following letter to Kevin J. Kennedy of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board:

 

September 16, 2014

 

Kevin J. Kennedy

Director and General Counsel

State of Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

212 East Washington Ave., Third Floor, P.O. Box 7984

Madison, WI 53707

 

Dear Mr. Kennedy,

 

Following the decision on Friday by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the injunction blocking Wisconsin’s voter ID law (Act 23) has now been lifted and the state is free to begin its enforcement.  I am writing this letter to request that you wait until after the November election to begin implementing Act 23 because of the irreparable harm and mass confusion it will cause.   

 

As you are well aware, there are numerous studies demonstrating the harm that will occur to voters who lack qualifying forms of identification under voter ID laws like Act 23.  In Wisconsin, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman recently found that an estimated 300,000, or about 9% of Wisconsin voters, lacked a qualifying ID under Act 23’s strict requirements.  It also comes as no surprise that Act 23 would disproportionately affect certain vulnerable subpopulations, including seniors, students, African Americans, Hispanics, and other people of color.  Despite these facts, it is deeply concerning to hear reports that the state intends to fully implement this pernicious law that could disenfranchise so many voters’ fundamental rights in a democratic society.

 

Enforcing Act 23 for the November election will also cause widespread confusion for voters and election officials.  Until the Seventh Circuit decision last Friday, it is my understanding that election officials were operating under the assumption that no voter ID law would be in place.  For example, it has been reported that over 11,000 absentee ballots have already been mailed without voter ID instructions.  Further, it would be a tremendous burden on the state to sufficiently train 1,852 municipal clerks and countless poll workers before the election.

 

It is also disturbing that there have been no public education efforts on voter ID for over two years, and many of my constituents in the Fourth Congressional District are unaware that they will need to obtain an ID.  Moreover, the new ‘free ID’ guidance, in response to the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling, is untested and likely to be insufficient to provide IDs to everyone who is lacking in light of the short time frame.  It is frankly irresponsible for you to immediately implement such a major change in our election law with the November 4th election date (and even sooner considering in-person absentee voting begins on October 20th).  

 

If you do decide to move forward with the Act’s implementation, I urge you to explain: 1) how you will implement the Act’s identification requirements without disenfranchising any Wisconsin citizen’s democratic right to vote; 2) how you will handle the absentee ballots that have already been issued without instructions; and 3) how you plan to deal with those Wisconsin voters who are unable to get a free identification card (under your new guidelines) before election day.  Clear and concise guidelines are integral to any implementation of this Act, and it is your duty to ensure that our elections are conducted in a fair and transparent manner.  

Sincerely,

 

Gwen Moore

MEMBER OF CONGRESS

 

CC:  Judge Thomas Barland, Chair, State of Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

CC:  The Honorable J.B. Van Hollen, Attorney General, State of Wisconsin