New voter ID law rules causes confusion

MILWAUKEE, WI- When the state supreme court upheld voter ID earlier this summer, it was under one condition, that voters not be required to pay for the documents required to get that ID. So, Friday, Governor Scott Walker approved a new procedure designed to give folks free access to those documents. But when we called the DMV's voter ID hotline, we immediately ran into some roadblocks while talking to the operator. He told us you would need more.

10.0pt;font-family:\"Microsoft Sans Serif\",\"sans-serif\"\">\"You're going to need a piece of mail from the last 90 days, it could be a cell phone bill a utility bill, a bank statement or any government issued correspondence,\" he said.

10.0pt;font-family:\"Microsoft Sans Serif\",\"sans-serif\"\">“But, what if we don't have any of those things?” we asked.

10.0pt;font-family:\"Microsoft Sans Serif\",\"sans-serif\"\">He replied, \"That's just one thing that we just can't get around in order to move forward with the product in Wisconsin, you do have to be able to prove Wisconsin residency.\"

10.0pt;font-family:\"Microsoft Sans Serif\",\"sans-serif\"\">That's where things don't match up. On the DMV website it lists that identity and Wisconsin residency have to be proven. But, according to Governor Walker's new rules for obtaining the voter identification, the department will request the applicant provide his or her name, date of birth, place of birth, and other birth information. It goes on to say, the department will then use the appropriate resources to confirm. However, the operator on the call did not echo those changes.

10.0pt;font-family:\"Microsoft Sans Serif\",\"sans-serif\"\">\"We do need to have proof of identity though, cause we do need to make sure only you are getting a voter id card under your name.\"

Another DMV hotline worker told us they're still getting up to speed with the new procedure and that it just came down yesterday, so clearly, the agency is still working through this. A good resource for voters is the non-partisan Wisconsin Election Protection Coalition. You can call them at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.