A federal judge has approved the distribution of new handouts which explain how Wisconsin residents who need a photo ID for voting can obtain credentials that will be accepted at polling places.
U.S. District Judge James Peterson ordered the state Department of Transportation last week to clarify the process for applying for an ID when someone is missing key documents, such as a birth certificate, or may face difficulty because of other issues. The move came after an investigation by the group VoteRiders found staff at multiple DMV service centers gave out wrong or incomplete information to the public about how the process works and how long it would take to get an ID for voting.
The investigation prompted a hearing in federal court last week, during which the judge determined the state had not complied with his order to make sure the ID petition process was made clear to voter. He called for creating a simple explanation of the process, which could easily be distributed by the state and voting advocates and put online.