Study: Black Voter Turnout In Wisconsin Plummets

A new study says turnout among black voters in Wisconsin dropped about 19 percent between 2012 and 2016, more than four times the national decline.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the Center for American Progress, a liberal nonprofit, studied data from the U.S. Census, polls and state voter files.

Democratic State Rep. David Bowen of Milwaukee says the study confirms requiring photo identification to vote disproportionately hurts minority voter turnout. The requirement first went into effect during the 2016 presidential election.

Courts have found minority voters are less likely to have a driver’s license or another form of ID that meets the requirement.

The study also found voter turnout for Hispanics and Asians dropped almost 6 percent in 2016. The turnout rate for those groups rose about 2 percent nationally.