Wisconsin voter ID law still causing confusion, stifles turnout in Milwaukee, voting advocates say

Molly Beck and Rachel Hale, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Nearly a decade ago, Wisconsin traded its designation as one of the easiest places to cast ballots for stricter voting rules that set off a still-ongoing debate over voter access.

The implementation of a state law that requires voters to show photo identification increased ballot security, Republican authors argue, but the side effects have disproportionately hit Black voters in Milwaukee who are more likely not to have a photo ID and less inclined to seek one than their white peers, experts and advocates say.

“You don’t realize the effect it has on you until it happens to you,” Anita Johnson, who has spent the last eight years helping Milwaukee voters navigate the state’s voter ID law, said in an interview. “And then you’re like, ‘Do I want to go through this? I mean, is this really worth it?’ It really stops people from voting.”

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Since the state’s voter ID law survived a number of legal challenges and went into effect for the 2016 presidential election cycle, a host of studies and advocacy groups have popped up to study and help voters navigate the law.

Their findings show a drop in accessibility that began in 2012, when Republicans took control of state government, and accelerated after the voter ID law became practice.

Keep reading to learn how thousands call the law a barrier to voting.

Some have been trying to bar Black voting since Reconstruction.

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