Elections Board Passes Rule To Ensure Students Can Use College IDs To Vote

The Government Accountability Board approved an emergency rule on Wednesday that will allow students at two-year colleges to use their school IDs to vote in state elections.

GAB director Kevin Kennedy said the two-year college IDs have always been accepted as part of the state’s new photo voter ID law. The law was put on hold in 2012, but was reinstated last month when the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to its constitutionality.

“That was the law beforehand, but we’re just dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s to make sure the rule is in place,” said Kennedy.

Voter ID will be in place for several small special elections this summer involving school board referendums and one state senate seat. Kennedy said his staff will monitor those elections carefully to work out any bugs in enforcing the new law in preparation for statewide elections next year.

A federal judge in Milwaukee is expected to rule soon in a lawsuit challenging the law. The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the court to require the state to accept out-of-state driver’s licenses and veteran ID cards as valid IDs at the polls. The lawsuit also asks that voters without IDs be allowed to vote if they sign an affidavit confirming their identity.