SB 6

Under current law, any person who is a U.S. citizen, who is at least 18 years of

age, and who has resided in a ward or election district in this state for at least ten

days before the election at which the person is voting may vote in that ward or

election district at that election unless the person is disqualified from voting, in

certain cases specified by law, as the result of a felony conviction or an adjudication

of incompetency. With limited exceptions, a person must register before voting and

in certain cases must provide proof of residence. With certain limited exceptions,

before being permitted to vote at any polling place, an eligible elector currently must

provide his or her name and address. If the elector is not registered, the elector must

provide a specified form of proof of residence in order to register. If an elector is not

able to present any required proof of residence, as an alternative, current law

permits an elector's registration information to be corroborated by another qualified

elector who resides in the same municipality. In addition, an elector other than a

military elector or an overseas elector, as defined by federal law, who registers by

mail and who has not voted in an election in this state must provide one of the forms

of identification specified by federal law, or a copy thereof if voting by absentee ballot,

in order to be permitted to vote. Corroboration may not be substituted for this

identification requirement, but an elector who cannot provide the required

identification may cast a provisional ballot. The municipal clerk or board of election

commissioners must determine whether electors casting provisional ballots are

qualified to vote by 4 p.m. on the day after an election.

With certain limited exceptions, this bill requires each eligible elector who

attempts to register or to vote at the polls on election day to present a valid Wisconsin

driver's license issued to the person by the Department of Transportation (DOT), a

valid, current identification card issued to the person by a U.S. uniformed service,

or a valid Wisconsin identification card issued to the person by DOT or, if DOT

implements the provisions of the federal REAL ID Act, an identification certificate

issued to the person by DOT (see below). A person whose address is confidential as

a result of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking or in certain cases a person who

has been required by a law enforcement officer to surrender his or her license (see

below) is exempted from the requirement. Under the bill, any person who applies

for an absentee ballot, except a military or overseas elector, as defined by federal law,

or a person whose address is confidential as a result of domestic abuse, sexual

assault, or stalking, must also provide a copy of the license or identification card,

unless: 1) the person has already provided a copy of his or her license or identification

card in connection with an absentee ballot cast at a previous election and has not

changed his or her name or address since that election; 2) the person has been

required by a law enforcement officer to surrender his or her license (see below); 3)

the person is indefinitely confined, in which case the person may submit a statement

signed by the person who witnesses his or her absentee ballot verifying his or her