Late Friday, three of the appellate judges reinstated the state's Voter ID law. Several parties hope the full court decides differently, with the election seven weeks away.
One involved group is the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin. Executive Director Chris Ahmuty says he was struck by the urgency the three-judge panel exhibited late last week, by issuing a decision on the same day arguments were made.
“They were more interested in, ‘hey, we’re on the eve of the election, how can we get this in place.’ And I think that hopefully the full circuit court will decide to hear this case, that is not a given but hopefully, they will, because what was absent last Friday and at the circuit court so far has been a really deliberative, judicial process,” Ahmuty said.
While the full appellate court decides whether to step into the case, clerks across Wisconsin will begin contacting voters who have already submitted absentee ballots. Those people must demonstrate that have a government ID, in order for their ballots to be counted.