It’s a shame that the judges on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals deadlocked on whether they should review a ruling by three of its members on Wisconsin’s voter ID law.
They voted 5-5 on the matter. Which means that the law is in effect.
This really is a shame. Wisconsin is unprepared for voter ID and with just a precious few weeks before the Nov. 4 election, this decision now has the power to sway this election.
Evidence presented and accepted in court asserts that 300,000 qualified Wisconsin voters lack an ID that would allow them to vote.
The last election was decided by about half of that number.
Which means that if even half of those ID-less voters get an ID before the Nov. 4 election, the law could affect the outcome of races all over the state.
Do you know what it would take for those folks to get an ID before Nov. 4? The DMV would have to process more than 6,000 ID cards before the election to cover those 300,000 voters. Even if half of those folks obtained an ID, the DMV would have to issue more than 3,000 IDs per day.
This is precisely why courts typically don’t allow changes in voting regulations so close to an election.
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Unfortunately, yet again, the judges didn’t rule on the merits of this matter. Instead, they ruled on whether the law should be placed on hold or not.
And I don’t need to tell you that the judges who voted against rehearing the case all received lifetime appointments from Republican presidents—Reagan and W.
It’s a really sad day for democracy.
Like I’ve written before. “Voter fraud” doesn’t destroy our faith in our elections. The GOP’s government-sanctioned voter suppression does.
