MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker has approved new rules establishing a free process for verifying birth information for people looking for state identification cards to vote but lack birth certificates. Walker approved the rules Friday, the same day state attorneys tried to convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to reinstate a state law requiring voters show photo identification at the polls. The state Supreme Court upheld the law in July in a separate case but cautioned that the state can’t require someone seeking an ID to vote to pay fees for supporting documents. Under the rules, an ID applicant must supply his or her birth information to the Department of Transportation, which will then ask the state Vital Records Office to search for birth records verifying the data.
