Court Ruling Means Wisconsin Voter ID Laws Are Back For November Elections

WISCONSIN -- Are you voting for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump for president this year? Either way, if you are from Wisconsin, you will have to bring an ID with you to the polls.

Stop us if you've heard this before.

The episodic nature of Wisconsin's voter ID have left Wisconsin voters twisting in the wind on more than one occasion, but with this week's ruling, it appears there is some finality for November's elections.

On July 19, Federal Judge Lynn Adelman issued a preliminary injunction against the law, permitting Wisconsin voters who do not have the required forms of identification to vote in the 2016 general election by signing affidavits swearing to their identity.

The New Ruling

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit rejected Adelman's ruling, but issued a compromise that will be in effect this November.

Instead, the court allowed Wisconsin to “mail automatically a free photo ID to anyone who comes to DMV one time and initiates the free ID process.”

The court said that when a person shows up at the DMV, was enough for a voter to receive an ID at no cost.

Voter IDs Long and Winding Road in Wisconsin

The 7th Circuit Court's ruling marks the latest chapter in the long-running legal saga over voter ID in Wisconsin. The law was blocked for years by court decisions, but went back into effect this year after overcoming those initial challenges.

The website Ballotpedia has a full timeline of events for Wisconsin's voter ID law.

Behold the complexity:

1. January 27, 2011: The bill was introduced to the Wisconsin State Assembly.[3]
2. May 9, 2011: The Joint Finance Committee approved the bill iby a 12-2 vote.[4]
3. May 11, 2011: The Wisconsin State Assembly approved the proposed bill by a vote of 60-35.[5]
4. May 17, 2011: The Wisconsin State Senate approved the bill by a 19-14 vote.[6]
5. May 25, 2011: Governor Scott Walker signed the bill into law.[3]
6. June 9, 2011: The legislation was published.[6]
7. October 20, 2011: The Wisconsin chapter of the League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit in Dane County Court challenging the law.[7]
8. December 13, 2011: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Wisconsin, and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that the law was unconstitutional and denied citizens the right to vote.[8]
9. February 21, 2012: Photo identification was required to vote in theprimary election.
10. March 6, 2012: Dane County Judge David Flanagan ruled that the requirement could not be enforced for the April 3 presidential primary and local elections.[9]
11. March 12, 2012: Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess ruled that the law violated the state constitution.[9] Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen appealed the decision.[3][9]
12. April 29, 2014: Judge Lynn Adelman blocked the photo ID requirement, ruling that it violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Actand the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. She concluded that about 300,000 Wisconsin residents currently did not have identification that would fulfill the requirements and that the law would "prevent more legitimate votes from being cast than fraudulent votes."
13. July 31, 2014: The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the identification requirement. The ruling was made under appeal, requiring a federal appeals court to overturn it for the requirement to be in effect for the November 4 elections.[10]
14. September 12, 2014: A three-member panel of the Seventh Circuit court determined that the photo identification requirements could take effect immediately.
15. September 26, 2014: The Seventh Circuit Court of Appealsdetermined that a hearing of the full court would not be held. The 10-member court voted on whether to hold a hearing and were split 5 -5. A majority is required to grant the request for a full hearing.[3]
16. October 9, 2014: the United States Supreme Court ordered that the requirement not take effect for the November 4, 2014, elections.[11]
17. March 23, 2015: The United States Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge against the law, thereby allowing the law to take full effect. Wisconsin state officials announced that the law would not be enforced for the election taking place on April 7, 2015, but would be enforced for subsequent elections.[2][1]
18. April 12, 2016: The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ordered a lower federal court to reconsider a case challenging Wisconsin's voter identification law.
19. May 10, 2016: Governor Scott Walker (R) approved a rule revising the state's voter identification process. Beginning May 13, 2016, voters who are attempting to obtain the required identification but who are unable to produce the requisite documentation can petition for an exception to the requirement.
20. July 19, 2016: Federal judge Lynn Adelman issued a preliminary injunction against the law, permitting Wisconsin voters who do not have the required forms of identification to vote in the 2016 general election by signing affidavits swearing to their identity.