The League of Women Voters sues over voter ID law

Summary of story from Reuters, October 20, 2011

The League of Women Voters are calling out against a new Wisconsin law which will require voters to present identification such as a drivers license at polling stations (see WVoN story).

They believe it would disenfranchise eligible voters.

The new law creates a third class of people, those who do not have ID, said Andrea Kaminski, Wisconsin League of Women Voters Executive Director.

The lawsuit, filed in Dane County Circuit Court, argues the state constitution allows only convicted felons and the mentally incompetent to be excluded from voting.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said the law would ensure the “integrity” of elections.

The law requires voters to present identification, such as a drivers license or a passport, when they cast ballots in federal, state and local elections.

The measure, passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature, takes effect next year, in time for the November general election.

The Wisconsin voter ID law was part of an ambitious agenda championed by Walker this year, also including curbs on the power of public unions, spending cuts and easing restrictions on concealed weapons.

A Milwaukee resident, Adib Khatib Timbuktu, has challenged the law in federal court, saying it violates the equal protection guarantees of the US Constitution.

Jennie Bowser, a senior fellow at the council of state legislatures, said she expects the number of challenges nationwide to grow following the November, 2012 elections.