MADISON, Wis. (WSAU) — The shockwaves of Federal Judge Lynn Adelman’s decision to soften Wisconsin’s Voter ID law in time for the November elections are still being felt in the capitol.
Assembly Minority Leader Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) considers it a victory for any voter in Wisconsin.
She said, “Regardless of what your political ideology is, everyone should support everyone else’s right to vote, period. That’s what this decision by a judge today entails, it’s really about strengthening our democracy and ensuring everyone has the right to cast their ballot.”
The Stevens Point representative pointed out that this is not the first time Judge Adelman had interfered with the Voter ID law, citing a ruling in 2014 when Adelman ruled that the law was unconstitutional. At that time, the U.S. Supreme Court did not accept the case and the law went into full effect, but Shankland hopes they can wait for at least a bit longer for a decision this time.
“It could potentially go up further to the Supreme Court. At the same time, I’m hopeful that this will be in place for the November election because I did see and hear from people who had difficulty accessing their constitutional right to vote at the polls in April.”
The law has already been amended to allow for the receipt for obtaining a photo ID and veterans ID cards to be used in place of a state-issued ID at the polls. Judge Adelman’s ruling allows for a signed affidavit to take the place of a photo ID entirely.
