Court Accepts One Wisconsin Institute Brief in Voter ID Case

Amicus Brief Argues Against Discriminatory Voter ID Law, Details Lack of Access to DMVs and Absence of Voting Impropriety in Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Court of Appeals has accepted an Amicus brief filed by One Wisconsin Institute opposing the implementation of a state voter ID law, ruled unconstitutional by two lower courts, that could disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of legal Wisconsin voters.

One Wisconsin Institute Executive Director Scot Ross commented, “Our brief before the court exposes how a lack of DMV access would make it difficult if not impossible for many people to get the required ID, therefore creating an unacceptable, and impermissible barrier to people exercising their most basic of rights in a democracy, the right to vote.”

Courts typically accept an amicus brief if the judges believe the brief can provide additional information that can assist the judges in evaluating the case.

The Institute’s Amicus Brief focuses on the inaccessibility of Wisconsin’s Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicle (“DMV”) service centers and the constitutional voter access issues created by the DMV’s inaccessibility.

The brief also addresses the lack of any voter fraud that would be addressed by the state’s voter ID law.

Ross concluded, “The voter ID law is really about politicians manipulating the rules to make it harder for people to vote, and gain a political advantage for themselves. We’re pleased the court has accepted our brief exposing how their effort would suppress voting and the misleading rhetoric they’ve used to justify their anti-democratic attempt to benefit themselves.”

# # #

As A Project Of A Better Wisconsin Together, We're Fighting For A Wisconsin With Equal Economic Opportunity For All