The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
On January 6, 2025, the fourth anniversary of the Capitol insurrection that sought to overturn a free and fair presidential election, Wisconsin’s lawmakers will convene a new legislative session with a troubling agenda: targeting the very cornerstone of our democracy – access to the ballot.
Likely within days of the opening of this new session, the legislature will hold a second vote on an amendment to enshrine Wisconsin’s voter identification law into the state constitution. Such a move will make it all the more difficult to reverse this measure that stifles voting, especially among Black residents, who are less likely than others to have a driver’s license. Moving this voter suppression tactic from law into the state constitution means that it cannot be challenged in state court as unconstitutional—and it will be much harder to undo in the future.
Strict voter ID laws could keep millions of Americans eligible to vote from the ballot box – in fact, it has been found that an estimated 11 percent of them would not have the required ID in states, like Wisconsin, that uphold strict ID requirements. Worth noting is that this percentage also climbs disproportionately upwards in already historically disenfranchised communities, including Black and brown, elderly, economically disenfranchised, and student voters, as well as voters with disabilities.
The bill’s supporters claim they are protecting our elections, but many of these same legislators, officials, and supposed advocates in Wisconsin were the first in the country to propose subverting election results in 2020, floating the idea of having the legislature appoint an alternate slate of electors who would cast their votes for Donald Trump rather than the winner of the state, Joe Biden. Earlier this month, Wisconsin’s justice department filed additional charges against those who led this undemocratic scheme.
The real threat to our elections comes not from voters, but those who willingly subvert the will of voters and deny access to the ballot. This latest measure in Wisconsin is an invention to chase a problem that does not exist. Voter impersonation is virtually nonexistent, non-citizens cannot vote in federal elections, and many instances of alleged fraud turn out to be administrative mistakes. Yet some lawmakers have used unfounded claims of rampant voter fraud to justify ever-tighter voting restrictions, like strict voter ID laws, which ultimately, and intentionally, reduce access to the ballot for Black and brown voters.
Wisconsin’s turnout in 2024 was the highest in state history. Enshrining the voter ID requirement in our state constitution will dampen further turnout. Their agenda does not have the support of a majority of state residents, so the chance at enacting it is to stifle democracy. For example, Wisconsin voters recently voted for new redistricting maps to balance out the statehouse, especially the Senate. Fairly drawn voting districts, resulting in a statehouse that actually reflects the will of the people, frightens those in power who know this change would simply make it harder for those who oppose them to vote.
This is a naked, undemocratic power grab. Instead of focusing on an unneeded constitutional amendment, Wisconsin lawmakers should focus on accountability from those officials who administer our elections. Individuals who have engaged in or facilitated fake elector schemes have demonstrated actions that undermine democratic principles and should be prohibited from participating in the oversight of elections. This policy ensures that Wisconsin’s election administration remains impartial and trustworthy by disqualifying individuals with a history of such activity from holding positions that impact election outcomes.
Also, lawmakers truly interested in fostering democracy and trust in the electoral process should change the state’s timing for processing absentee ballots. State law prohibits counting ballots until Election Day, causing significant delays in reporting election results and creating opportunities for misinformation regarding election results and our election processes. A legislative bill allowing absentee ballots to be processed on the Monday before Election Day would streamline election administration, relieve staffing challenges, reduce delays, and enhance public confidence in timely and complete results.
January 6, 2021, was a stain on this country’s history, and it exposed the gulf between those who want to uphold democracy regardless of election results and those who will go to any lengths necessary to get the results they want. Wisconsin lawmakers cannot allow January 6, 2025, to continue the movement toward election subversion and voter suppression. They have far more pressing issues in front of them that truly affect their constituents than making up claims of voter fraud that do nothing positive for Wisconsin voters.
-Samuel Liebert is Wisconsin state director for All Voting is Local. He is a former clerk-treasurer for the village of Shorewood Hills.
