(The Center Square) – Individuals in Wisconsin who attempt to register to vote using a temporary status ID card as their proof of state residency may do so, as long as they swear to election workers they are United States citizens, the Wisconsin Elections Commission has determined.
The WEC released guidelines for clerks after Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., expressed concerns over municipal clerks lacking guidance on how to handle voter registration applications presenting Limited Term and Non-Domiciled ID cards as proof of state residency.
Both forms of identification are issued to non-immigrant, non-citizens who are legally and temporarily staying in the state of Wisconsin, classified as Temporary Visitors under state law. Wisconsin election law requires U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years of age to have resided in an election district for 28 days before an election.
The WEC argued that because those temporary IDs are issued by the state Department of Motor Vehicles, election workers and clerks must accept them as proper forms of voter identification.
“However, possessing a valid identification does not necessarily mean the holder of the identification is eligible to vote,” the WEC acknowledged. “[I]f the potential voter presents a DMV identification marked ‘Limited Term’ or ‘Non-Domiciled,’ that indicates that the individual is most likely ineligible to vote because they are not a citizen and the election inspector should challenge that individual’s eligibility to vote, unless the person presents documentation demonstrating the person is now a citizen.”
The challenge process, which requires a second election inspector, consists of placing the ID holder under oath and asking the individual to swear that they are a U.S. citizen. If the individual refuses to swear or denies U.S. citizenship, the election officials can deny the individual voting registration or refuse to issue a ballot. If the individual does swear, the individual is allowed to vote, and a “Challenged” note on the ballot can be made if the election inspector who made the challenge still harbors doubts.
WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe said in a media call Monday that the script used for questioning was created specifically so that election workers will not require any extra training before Election Day.
