State Sen. Tim Carpenter Wants Seniors Exempted from Voter ID Law

Does Wisconsin really need to guard itself against voter fraud among elderly?

State Sen. Tim Carpenter doesn't believe so.

Carpenter, who has constituents in Greenfield, announced he will be introducing legislation to exempt registered voters aged 65 and over from the requirement to show a current photo ID in order to vote.

"There is a strong belief in my district that elections should be as accurate as possible," Carpenter said in a statement. "There is also a strong belief that seniors who have been living and voting in our neighborhoods for years – but do not have current ID – are not a threat to the accuracy of elections."

Carpenter said several of his elderly constituents have run into issues obtaining state-approved photo ID now required for voting. Some folks have not had driver's licenses for years and are now having difficulties getting an ID from the DMV for various reasons, such as a name change from the one on their birth certificate or lacking easy access to their birth records.

In addition, many seniors have difficulty getting around, Carpenter said. They rely on others to get them from A to B, and running around to secure a new state-approved ID, or waiting in line at the DMV can be taxing both mentally and physically.

The state's voter registration list keeps information such as birth dates of voters, so if the registered voter is 65 years or older, the poll list downloaded for each polling place would indicate that the particular registered voter is a senior citizen and exempt from photo ID requirements, Carpenter said, should his law be passed.

“This bill would resolve this issue for the many seniors who have voted for years, but now may have barriers to do so in the future due to circumstances beyond their control in getting a new ID,” Carpenter said.

The voter ID bill, which was signed into law back in May by Gov. Scott Walker, has been criticized by Democrats as a measure that will discourage many of their contituents from voting, while several others have said the bill will protect the integrity of the state's elections.