March 13, 2012

WISCONSIN: Voter ID Law Stricken Down by Judge

Click here for original article by Tim Mak on Politico.com

The move, which comes just days after another judge temporarily halted the law, will have consequences for the upcoming April 3 presidential primary in Wisconsin, which state officials had hoped to apply the law to.

“A government that undermines the very foundation of its existence — the people’s inherent, pre-constitutional right to vote — imperils its legitimacy as a government by the people, for the people, and especially of the people,” Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess wrote in issuing the permanent injunction, according to the wire service.

“Voter fraud is no more poisonous to our democracy than voter suppression,” he added in his eight-page ruling.

In Niess’s view, the law would have eliminated the right to vote for certain eligible voters who lack sufficient resources to obtain valid identification.

The voter ID law would have required voters to show photo ID, such as a driver’s license or other state-issued identification, in order to vote.

There are currently four lawsuits that are involved with challenging Wisconsin’s law, part of the ongoing national battle on whether voter ID laws are appropriate.

Currently, 15 states have voted ID laws, and pending legislation in 31 states propose to introduce or strengthen voter ID requirements, reports the AP.

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has said he will appeal the injunction.