State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
A proposed constitutional amendment to require a photo ID to vote in Wisconsin has cleared the third of four legislative steps, but the fourth hurdle may be an insurmountable obstacle thanks to Democrats who control the state Senate.
The amendment that I co-sponsored provides that a qualified elector may not vote, or register to vote, at the polls on Election Day unless the elector presents a photographic identification issued by this state or by the federal government. It’s that simple. In an effort to preserve the integrity of our election system, in order to vote, you have to prove you are who you say you are.
Let’s review the history of this proposal. Because it is an amendment to the state constitution, the measure must pass two consecutive sessions of the Legislature, and then be approved by voters in a statewide referendum.
After the Legislature approved three photo ID bills, only to see all three vetoed by Governor Doyle, the constitutional amendment requiring photo ID was introduced on May 3, 2005. The state Assembly passed the amendment, 57-36, on November 1, 2005. The state Senate then passed the amendment, 19-14, on March 9, 2006.
The amendment must now be approved in this, the current session of the Legislature before it can go to voters in a referendum. On April 17, 2007, the state Assembly approved the amendment, 54-43. Now the amendment must be approved by the state Senate, but its fate is all but dead.
Democrat leaders in the Senate are refusing to schedule the amendment for consideration. The Senate Democrat chair of the Senate committee that would hold a hearing on the amendment said in a prèss release he would do whatever he could to prevent the amendment from getting a Senate vote. He also said, “This bill will create a roadblock for all voters.” That’s not true. It will create a roadblock for those who would attempt to cheat our voting system.
Wisconsinites clearly would vote to change our state constitution, given the opportunity. According to a statewide survey released by the Wisconsin Policy research Institute in October 2005, “Wisconsin residents, by a 63% to 30% margin, clearly favor a constitutional amendment to require photo ID’s for voting. This number is slightly less than general support for the measure where 69% of the residents support requiring photo ID’s to vote, while only 27% oppose such a requirement. The support for a constitutional amendment is strong in most parts of the state. No region of the state opposes such a constitutional amendment.”
A photo ID requirement returns confidence to our system that has been rocked by voter fraud. It ensures that every voter casting a legal ballot is not disenfranchised by a fraudulently cast ballot. Sadly, it appears a group of 18 Senate Democrats, with urging from Governor Doyle, will thwart the will of the people and stand in the way of common sense public policy.
