By: Patrick Fernan patrick.fernan@dot.wi.gov
A new law requiring a photo ID at the polls has many people confused about what they need
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In recent weeks, a number of Wisconsinites have gone to their local DMV customer service center to request a “Voter ID card” only to find out that they already have it – a Wisconsin driver license.
DMV Deputy Administrator Patrick Fernan notes, “There is a lot of confusion out there as to what is needed, and we want people to know that the vast majority of people already have an acceptable photo ID for voting, and it is their Wisconsin driver license," He said. "We’re seeing people who think there is a separate Voter ID card that is needed, and that simply does not exist.”
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What does exist is what DMV has always issued – driver licenses and ID cards. What is different is that they, or some other acceptable photo identification, are now needed to vote.
Currently, more than 4,114,000 Wisconsinites have a driver license which is acceptable as photo identification for voting. Another 481,810 Wisconsinites have a Wisconsin ID card, issued by the DMV.
Wisconsin ID cards are also acceptable as photo identification at the polls. For people who don’t have an acceptable photo ID for voting and want one, DMV can issue a photo ID free of charge if they meet the requirements. Driver license receipts and ID card receipts issued by DMV and valid for 45 days are also acceptable forms of photo ID for voting. For more information, visit www.wisconsindmv.gov.
The Government Accountability Board notes that an unexpired Wisconsin driver license is the most common acceptable photo ID for voting. An expired Wisconsin driver license or ID is also acceptable, as long as it expired within two years after the most recent general election (November 2, 2010). In other words, if a Wisconsin ID or driver license expired in December 2010, it can still be used for voting purposes in the November 2012 general election.
More information about voting in Wisconsin, is available through the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board at www.gab.wi.gov.