DMV gives wrong information on voter ID

State officials told a judge they had trained workers to make sure people could easily get IDs for voting, but an audio recording was released Thursday of Division of Motor Vehicles employees telling a man he couldn’t get one quickly because he didn’t have a birth certificate with him.

“You don’t get anything right away,” one DMV employee said on the recording.

How IDs are handled is “up in the air right now,” said another.

The recordings were made Sept. 22, the same day Attorney General Brad Schimel filed court documents claiming DMV “field staff are now trained to ensure that anyone who fills out these forms will receive a photo ID, mailed to them within six days of their application,” even if they don’t have a birth certificate.

The Nation first reported on the recording, which was made by Molly McGrath, the national campaign coordinator with VoteRiders, a group opposed to voter ID laws that also helps people get IDs.

McGrath, who also provided a copy of the recording to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, said her group visited 10 DMV stations around Wisconsin. DMV employees gave the visitors answers “all over the board” regarding how long it would take to get an ID, she said.

Wisconsin’s voter ID law requires the state to give people free IDs for voting. U.S. District Judge James Peterson in July found the state’s process for providing IDs to people who don’t have birth certificates violates voting rights. To fix it, the state has made changes by saying it would promptly provide temporary voting credentials to anyone who seeks them.

But the recording showed that didn't happen in at least one case. 

“This is a sign the (court) order’s not being obeyed,” McGrath said.

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The 10-minute recording McGrath provided captures her trip to a Madison DMV station with Zack Moore as he tried to get an ID so he could vote in the Nov. 8 election.

Moore, who moved to Wisconsin from Illinois, had his Social Security card, Illinois ID card and a paycheck stub to prove where he lived. But he didn’t have his birth certificate. Even so, the state is supposed to provide him with voting credentials he could use while it makes a determination about whether he gets a permanent ID.

But a DMV employee simply told him he couldn’t get an ID without a birth certificate. A second employee then told him he could get one without a birth certificate, but there was no way to know how long it would take.

That second employee repeatedly told him it was up to him on how to proceed, but that it would be much faster if he got his birth certificate.

A third employee told Moore it would take six to eight weeks to get an ID without a birth certificate. That would mean he might not get it before the election.

The third employee told him the fastest way to get an ID would be to get his birth certificate, even if he had to incur the time and cost of driving to Chicago to get it.

The third employee told Moore he couldn’t get temporary voting credentials, despite what state officials have repeatedly told the courts.

“Nope, nope,” the employee said when asked about temporary voting credentials. “That’s just why it’s, you know, it’s just much better if you have that birth certificate than going through that process.

“I know they’ve been saying they’re trying to speed that process up, but the thing that hinges on the whole process is how quickly the state gets back to us.... If you really want to bet on Illinois getting back to us quickly, that’s probably not the best scenario there.”

In an online video, Moore expressed frustration over the situation.

"I'm disappointed at the government," he said. "I guess they're trying to keep people from voting."

Moore is attempting to get a copy of his birth certificate from his sister, according to McGrath.

Kristina Boardman, the head of the DMV, issued a written statement that did not address what specifically occurred, but said such a practice would violate DMV protocols.

“DMV remains committed to working with all eligible voters to ensure they receive free identification, as required for voting,” her statement said. 

Johnny Koremenos, a spokesman for the attorney general, said Schimel's court filing was accurate. He did not explain why DMV employees gave incorrect information to Moore if they had been trained on the voter ID law.