Janesville information session set about state’s voter ID law
If you go
What: Wisconsin voter ID informational session
When: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.
Where: Rock County Job Center, 1900 Center Avenue, Janesville.
Details: This nonpartisan event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Laura Boettcher at (608) 754-6661 or email her at laura.boettcher9@gmail.com.
To learn more
You can request a member of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board to talk to your group about the new voter ID law. Call (608) 261-2028 or visit gab.wi.gov. The website also has information about the law and downloadable public information brochures.
JANESVILLE — No identification is necessary for voters and democracy advocates who want to learn more about Wisconsin’s new voter ID law.
Representatives from the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board on Tuesday will be at the Rock County Job Center on Janesville’s south side to talk about the law that went into effect in May. The event is hosted by the League of Women Voters and Rock County Clerk Lori Stottler.
All are welcome, Stottler said.
“Anybody who has questions or is confused about the laws for the 2012 election cycle as it pertains to voting” should attend the informational session, Stottler said.
The accountability board created a speakers bureau as part of a $2 million effort to educate the public about the new law, Stottler said. The speakers are available for presentations to groups. The accountability board also has a mountain of information about the law available online.
Stottler particularly recommends that high schools in Rock County send representatives to Tuesday’s event. State statutes require at least one person on staff at each high school be deputized to register voters, Stottler said. High school students turning 18 can register at their school or with other new voters at municipal clerks’ offices.
The program also is important for people who expect to be pounding the pavement to register new voters or spread the word about the identification requirements, Stottler said.
The state ran a “soft implementation” of the law during recall elections. Poll workers asked voters for identification. Voters who didn’t have photo identification were allowed to vote; poll workers gave them brochures about the law.
Here are a few facts from the accountability board’s online list of frequently asked questions.
Q: How much does it cost to get an ID to vote?
A: Nothing, if you are qualified for a Wisconsin ID card and request a free one for voting purposes. (Normally an ID card costs $28.)
Request a voting ID soon in order to get your free ID in time for the February primary election, the accountability board urges. In order to get a Wisconsin ID card, you will need several documents, including:
-- A birth certificate or passport.
-- Proof of identity such as a document with a photo or signature.
-- Proof of residence such as a pay stub, utility bill or bank statement.
You can’t get a free ID if you already have a driver’s license.
Q: What kind of ID is acceptable at the polls?
A: Among many options are a Wisconsin driver’s license, military identification, tribal identification, a U.S. passport or a signed, dated ID from a Wisconsin college or university.
Nov 15, 2011 at 6:48 p.m.
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Republicans seem to have no problem passing voter suppression laws.
Nov 15, 2011 at 5:26 p.m.
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Ezoner, "But to vote, your supposed to just show up and everyone is supposed to believe that you are who you say you are....... Not -- think the illegals are telling the truth?" I don't think you can register to vote if you are an illegal alien. Not sure where you vote, but where I vote, they have a list. You tell them your name and they cross your name off their list. If someone comes in and tries to say, "I'm Ezoner", after you've already voted, they won't be able to vote. Pretty simple. Especially considering the only cases of "voter fraud" are really unintentional when felons try to vote, not realizing that they are barred from voting. Not that big of a problem unless you want to do all you can to keep smart people from voting against you, I guess.
And why is a military ID any better than a technical college ID to vote? Could it possibly be that military personnel tend to sway to the Republican side? And poobah, thanks for the compliment the other day regarding Occupy and RAF.
Nov 15, 2011 at 4:30 p.m.
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Training: 1) Pull state photo ID from pocket or purse. 2)Vote.
Nov 15, 2011 at 3:57 p.m.
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Ok -- you need to show your ID to buy a gun, a hunting license, to get married, drivers license, cash a check, claim your welfare, etc.... it goes on and on.
But to vote, your supposed to just show up and everyone is supposed to believe that you are who you say you are....... Not -- think the illegals are telling the truth?
Nov 15, 2011 at 3:51 p.m.
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What was offensive about my comment..... So I will repeat....
The left wing wants you to believe that although you need and ID for driving, purchasing a gun, buying a beer, getting a hunting license or fishiung license, boarding a plane, etc,......
But all you need to do is show to vote with no proof of who you are. Well -- that has changed and we are no longer allowed to pander for votes of illegal aliens and others that have no proof of who they are.
Nov 15, 2011 at 3:46 p.m.
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I don't get why this is a "considerable hassle" and who it is a "considerable hassle" for. It's a considerable hassle for me to maintain my drivers license (waiting in that DMV line is a pain), and some days it's even a considerable hassle to get up on time, show up to work, and make sure I don't run out of milk or bread - point being, just about anything can be called a "considerable hassle" - if you choose to whine about it.
Nov 15, 2011 at 2:18 p.m.
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Janesvillian and anyone else who thinks getting a free ID, please take a walk down to the DMV and look at the SEVERAL posters that are larger than life telling you that there is no cost for an ID to vote. Janesvillian is practicing fear-mongering at it's best! Way to go, the Democratic party thanks you for your unbiased, blind and mindless support. Your check will be cashed by someone else claiming your entitlement.
Nov 15, 2011 at 2:07 p.m.
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People seem to have no problem showing ID to get entitlements.
Nov 15, 2011 at 1:56 p.m.
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I understand not everyone has a drivers license but if you don't drive how do you do anything without a state photo ID of some sort. You need an ID for just about everything you do to function as a LEGAL resident of the state. The only people that will have difficulty is the ones that are not legal, although they seem to get a drivers license with no problem.
Nov 15, 2011 at 1:35 p.m.
Nov 15, 2011 at 1:29 p.m.
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I guess it's quite convenient for the unknowing. they will be at the job center anyways signing petitions.
Nov 15, 2011 at 1:25 p.m.
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battler, the difficulty is not in SHOWING the ID, it is in GETTING the ID in the first place and then keeping it up to date, both of which can entail considerable hassle (not to mention the SUPER SEEKRIT POLICY at the DMV that they can't tell you about the free ID, you have to ask for it). The Republicans know that many groups who tend not to vote Republican will have more difficulty obtaining and maintaining their ID status. Given that there was no evidence of any increase in vote fraud, this was an entirely unnecessary change in state law done to benefit a single party. Portraying it as no big deal reveals your hope that it will inconvenience those with whom you disagree.
Nov 15, 2011 at 1:13 p.m.
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"Disenfranchisement ...to deprive a person of the right to vote" - not happening in any state., inc. WI
Nov 15, 2011 at 11:56 a.m.
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Okay. It doesn't bother Walker to spend a cool $2 million to explain to disadvantaged voters how he intends to s---- them out of the franchise.
Nov 15, 2011 at 11:26 a.m.
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What is so difficult about showing an I.D. If people are having such a hard time with this concept then I really don't think they are making good choices when they are voting, whoever they are voting for.
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