Federal judge strikes down Wisconsin election laws
MADISON — A federal judge in Wisconsin has declared multiple Republican-authored election laws unconstitutional in a sweeping ruling.
Two liberal groups filed a lawsuit in May challenging the laws, including a requirement that voters show photo identification. U.S. District Judge James Peterson issued a ruling Friday that upheld the voter ID law but struck down a number of GOP-written statutes and policies that restricted voting.
He ordered the state to quickly issue credentials valid for voting to anyone trying to obtain a free photo ID for voting. He struck down a restriction limiting municipalities to one location for in-person absentee voting, time limits on in-person absentee voting, an increase in residency requirements from 10 to 28 days, and a prohibition on using expired but otherwise qualifying student IDs to vote.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett released the following statement in regards to the ruling:
"Today's decision is an affirmation of the right to fully participate in the democratic electoral process. The ruling confirms my belief that Milwaukee citizens and voters were singled out and penalized. The Governor and legislature should embrace this decision and put Wisconsin at the top of the list of states with fair, open and easily accessible elections for all our citizens."