Wisconsin lawmakers address concerns over illegal immigrants obtaining IDs and voting
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, along with local election clerks and Fond du Lac County’s district attorney, attended a hearing held by the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections and the Senate Committee on Shared Revenue, Elections, and Consumer Protection on Thursday.
“We are not aiming to put anyone in a difficult situation or make any accusations,” explained Senator Dan Knodl, a Republican from Germantown. “Our intention is to support our clerks, who are already under a lot of stress, and let them know that we are here to assist them.”
Representative Scott Krug, a Republican from Nekoosa, emphasized the importance of instilling confidence in Wisconsin’s electoral process.
“We’ve been receiving a lot of emails about this particular topic over the past few months,” Krug mentioned. “We believe it’s crucial to thoroughly investigate and share all the relevant information with the public.”
The Wisconsin Elections Commission was not present at Thursday’s meeting as they had their own meeting to attend to. Consequently, lawmakers’ inquiries were left unanswered.
Wisconsin has gained a reputation as a state with stringent voter ID requirements, according to Wis-DOT Deputy Secretary Kristina Boardman.
Boardman emphasized that it is mandatory for Wis-DOT to provide free identification cards to U.S. citizens who request them for voting purposes. It should be noted that to qualify for this free ID card, individuals must be U.S. citizens and at least 17 years old. The Wis-DOT staff does not have the authority to determine voter eligibility or facilitate voter registration. However, individuals with a Wisconsin ID or driver’s license can register to vote online, and their information will be cross-checked with the Wisconsin DMV systems to ensure consistency with the DMV’s records.
According to Boardman, in Wisconsin, the number of fraudulent ID requests is less than a fraction of one percent.
“We compile a case activity report and gather all the necessary documentation. The investigator assigned to the case is responsible for this task. Afterwards, we refer the report to law enforcement for further action. In the report, we highlight the statutes that we believe might have been violated. Ultimately, it is up to law enforcement to take appropriate measures based on our findings,” Boardman explained.
