This guy can vote like crazy!

Earlier this year, Wisconsin passed a bill containing one of the strictest voter ID requirements in the country. Backers to the bill say it will help against voter fraud, but others insist that it will make voting more difficult for certain demographics.

Originally written years ago, this bill has made Wisconsin the 11th state in the nation to require a photo ID to vote. Just having a photo ID may sound simple, but this bill will fundamentally change how Sconnies can vote. 

There has been a recent lawsuit prepared by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin that will allege this law violates a portion of the U.S. Constitution. The group plans to file its lawsuit in the Dane County Circuit Court. 

Some of the main controversies surrounding the bill include: a valid photo ID must have the current address you are registered under. You must be living at that address for more than 28 days. This can be a problem for college students who switch houses every year, and for people who have simply moved and not updated their drivers licence yet. 

It will become more difficult to purchase new IDs since you will need both a copy of your birth certificate and your social security card. If you don't have a copy of either handy, it will take time for you to even order them.

Even ordering a residence ID will be inconvienent. DMVs such as the one in Menomonie sell residence IDs only on Thursdays and Fridays, which for working folk is a little unrealistic. To get these IDs you will need to spend time and money, both of which people have in short supply.

The bill changed the rules of absentee ballots also. Absintee voters will only have a two week deadline to submit their ballots. Voters will be required to sign a poll book before they obtain a ballot, which critics view as another way of disenfranchising people in the upcoming election.

If people do not research what they need to bring to vote, they will most likely be turned away at the ballot box and unable to cast their ballot. If turned away on an election day, it would be impossible to get all the documentation needed to prove one's eligabilty. 

Starting next year, the following IDs will be accepted: a WI drivers license, state-issued ID cards, military IDs, passports, IDs issuesd by Wisconsin-based tribes, and certain school IDs (ironically, none of the school IDs in the University of Wisconsin system work.)