A new federal lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that Wisconsin’s voter ID requirements for college students are unconstitutional. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday by Common Cause in Wisconsin and a 20-year-old Milwaukee School of Engineering student. It argues that Wisconsin’s student ID requirements are a pointless barrier to voting in the state. Common Cause in Wisconsin director Jay Heck tells WFDL news he believes requiring student IDs to have a signature when some student IDs don’t have signatures was intentional to try to prevent students from voting. “I absolutely do think it’s intentional. I absolutely think this was done to make sure that fewer college and university students would vote,” Heck told WFDL news. The 2011 law created a photo ID requirement in order to vote. It spells out what has to be on a college ID in order for it to be used for voting purposes. Voters using college IDs to cast a ballot must also present proof of enrollment. The lawsuit argues the requirement for student IDs can confuse and deter the new voters, making elections less accessible for them. The lawsuit does not challenge the underlying voter ID law.
