Politics
Voter ID law in Wisconsin on trial in federal court
“Voter fraud is real and is not a myth,” said Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Clayton Kawski during his opening statement.
Kawski said the state intends to use the example of a Georgia voter ID law in effect since 2008 to show such laws do not harm minority voters.
“Just because a voter in Wisconsin does not currently have a voter ID does not mean the voter is incapable of ever getting a qualifying ID,” Kawski said.
Four lawsuits have been filed against the voter identification law in Wisconsin, two in federal court and two in state court.
In one of the state cases, implementation of the law was blocked by a circuit court judge, though it is now on appeal. It is not immediately clear how a decision in the federal trial will affect the state cases.
The law was not in effect during the presidential election in November, 2012, or the election in June, 2012, when Republican Governor Scott Walker survived an attempt to recall him from office.
