State voters will probably not have to show IDs at polls Nov. 6

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MADISON - Wisconsin voters will probably not have to show their photo ID’s at the polls on Nov. 6. That’s what attorneys on both sides of the issue are saying, after the State Supreme Court refused yesterday to immediately consider bringing back the ID mandate for the presidential contest.

Two judges in Madison struck it down earlier this year, saying it discourages minorities, the poor, the elderly, and college students from voting. But Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen disagreed – and he challenged both rulings before a pair of appellate courts. And a few weeks ago, he asked the Supreme Court to take over both cases, so he could try to get the law back in place for November. But the justices said yesterday that the request was premature, because initial appellate briefs had not been filed in one of the cases.

Van Hollen conceded that the photo ID mandate will not be in place in November – but he still has a last-second opportunity to try again in mid-October. But attorney Rich Saks, who represents two groups that challenged the law, says it’s almost certain that ID’s won’t be required in November. And he called the Supreme Court’s delay a “terrific victory for voter rights.” Van Hollen says he’ll continue to fight to have the law upheld, because he still believes it’s constitutional.

Republicans in the state legislature approved the law last year, but it’s only been used once – and that was in the local primaries in February.

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