Some could have trouble getting ID near election

Madison — Wisconsin election officials raised concerns Tuesday that some voters won’t be able to get IDs in time to vote in the Nov. 8 presidential election — potentially violating a court order.

In response, a Division of Motor Vehicles official said the state would use overnight mail to get people voting credentials in some cases to make sure they can more easily vote.

Courts have kept Wisconsin’s voter ID law in place but have ruled state officials must promptly provide free voting credentials to people who don’t have IDs, even if they lack birth certificates or other identity documents.

Three members of the state Elections Commission said they were worried people who wait to obtain IDs until close to the election won’t be able to get them in time to have their votes counted.

That’s because the DMV provides some voting credentials by mail, rather than in person. That raises the risk that those who visit a DMV center close to the election won’t get what they need to vote until too late, commissioners said.

“Everyone has a constitutional right to have their ballot counted,” said Mark Thomsen, chairman of the commission. “It’s up to us to do everything we can (to make sure people can vote).”

Commissioner Ann Jacobs said at Tuesday’s meeting she would like to see the DMV provide all voting credentials over the counter instead of through the mail when it gets close to the election.

Commissioner Steve King agreed with that approach in an interview.

"The mail won't cut it" in some cases, he said.

Jacobs and Thomsen are Democrats; King is a Republican.

When people go to the DMV for driver's licenses or IDs, they typically get temporary documents they can use for voting in the office and their licenses or IDs through the mail. But people who do not have birth certificates or other identity documents get their temporary voting credentials through the mail instead of over the DMV counter.

Jacobs raised concerns about voters who don't have identity documents who may not know they need IDs to vote until they get to the polls on Nov. 8. Those voters can cast provisional ballots, but those ballots will not be counted unless the voters show election clerks IDs by the Friday after the election.

Such a voter could go to the DMV on election day or soon afterward, but might not get his or her ID by the Friday after the election if the DMV sticks with the process it has been using, Jacobs said.

But DMV spokeswoman Patty Mayers said late Tuesday any voting credentials that need to be mailed during the week of an election would be sent by overnight mail.

The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday issued a ruling that kept in place decisions upholding Wisconsin’s voter ID law. The appeals court has said voting credentials must be promptly provided to those who seek IDs.

The appeals court is expected to issue a final decision after the election that will determine the future of the voter ID law and a host of other election provisions, including where and when early voting can be conducted.

Court decisions require the state to inform the public about how people can get voting credentials easily even if they don’t have birth certificates or other identity documents.

The state has a public information campaign underway that includes broadcast and internet ads. Jacobs said the campaign might not reach people who have the most difficulty getting IDs, noting many of them are elderly.

“The people who are least likely to have the documents are the people least likely to be on Facebook,” she said. “I’m not seeing them necessarily tweeting about their voting status.”

Commissioner Julie Glancey said the state should contact county human services departments so they can provide details about the voter ID laws to people who receive Meals on Wheels or participate in similar programs.

“They certainly could partner with some of that and know those vulnerable people who may or may not have ID,” said Glancey, a Democrat who formerly served as Sheboygan County clerk.

Michael Haas, the director of the commission, said he expects his staff to develop an outreach plan by next week that will emphasize that people can get voting credentials in one trip to the DMV.

Also Tuesday, commission officials spelled out plans to mail postcards to 1 million to 1.5 million people who have driver's licenses but are not registered to vote. The postcards, which people will receive in early October, will tell people how they can sign up to vote.