U.S. District Judge James Peterson on Friday ordered Wisconsin to investigate whether some transportation employees have been failing to help people obtain temporary identification for voting if they lack a supporting document for a regular ID such as a birth certificate.
Wisconsin law now requires people to present a government-issued photo identification in order to cast a ballot. But because some people don't have easy access to the documents needed to get a Wisconsin ID, Peterson ordered the state, in July, to come up with a contingency plan.
State leaders agreed that local DMV offices would provide people with a temporary ID for voting, while initiating the process of obtaining a regular state identification card.
Groups including the ACLU claim some DMV workers have been denying people a temporary document, failing to tell them about the way to petition for a regular ID or requiring applicants to return multiple times.
After hearing the allegations, Peterson ordered the state to investigate and report back to him by October 7, about a month before the November election.
