A year from now, the people of Wisconsin will be going to the polls to exercise one of the most cherished rights of our democracy: the right to vote. It is the fundamental pillar of our democracy that in the voting booth we are all equal – black or white, young or old, rich or poor. When we cast our ballot, we all raise an equal voice to determine the shape of our government.

Wisconsin legislators would deny that right. Strict new voter identification laws were proposed in 34 states, including our own. Wisconsin’s new voter identification restrictions, which passed the Legislature this year, are now the strictest in the country.

Text ID to 69866 if you need assistance getting an ID to vote.

Wisconsin’s new law requires voters to produce a non-expired Wisconsin or federal government-issued photo identification, prohibiting use of many forms of identification that effectively verify voters’ identity, such as student IDs, state employee IDs, out-of-state licenses, expired licenses and even a voter registration card. Touted on the guise of addressing so-called voter fraud, these laws are expensive to implement, disenfranchise voters, create long lines at the polls and do not prevent the very voting problems they purport to address.

Text ID to 69866 if you need assistance getting an ID to vote.

Widespread voter fraud is a myth. You are far more likely to be killed by lightning than to see a prosecutable case of voter fraud. An extensive analysis of data from all 50 states by the U.S. Justice Department found that incidents of voter fraud are exceedingly rare. A vigorous investigation of fraud allegations in Wisconsin in 2004 led to the prosecution of only 0.0007% of voters. Most instances of improper voting involve registration and eligibility issues, none of which would be prevented by a state photo ID restriction.

Advancement Project’s report “What’s Wrong with This Picture?” reveals that voter ID laws are expensive to both individuals and states. Taxpayers will bear the cost of providing free IDs – more than $20 million in some states during a time of tough budget constraints. Individuals will have to bear the cost of purchasing the underlying documents needed to obtain a state photo voting ID.

An American with disabilities or an elderly citizen who is home bound would find it particularly difficult to get to the offices where those documents can be obtained. In Wisconsin, there is the additional obstacle of 25% of Division of Motor Vehicle offices being open only one day a month or less and fewer than half being open at least 20 hours a week.

Some Wisconsin elections officials are estimating double the wait times at the polls next year due to the new ID restrictions that will affect us all.

In a video released this summer, a young man and his mother exposed the dysfunction as the duo traveled from desk to desk at a Wisconsin DMV on a quest to get the young man’s voter ID. The mother and son were thwarted and hoodwinked at every turn, with one employee even going so far as to claim that the son did not have enough “activity” on his checking account to qualify to vote. Just imagine producing your birth certificate, passport and proof of address and being informed that because you paid too often with cash rather than with your debit card that you were ineligible to receive a voter ID. Imagine.

Text ID to 69866 if you need assistance getting an ID to vote.

These new barriers to voting do not affect Americans equally. A just-released documentary by Brave New Foundation reveals a strong partisan bend to the new laws. The voting restrictions proposed in 34 states this past year were based upon model legislation by the American Legislative Exchange Council, which receives funding from the right-wing Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, among others. Studies show that nationwide, 15% of those earning under $35,000 a year do not have government-issued photo identification, 18% of the elderly lack a current ID, 20% of voters ages 18 to 29 do not have photo ID and 25% of African-Americans lack a current photo ID and could be barred from voting under Wisconsin’s new law.

In Wisconsin, the numbers are even starker. A study from the University of Wisconsin found that 23% of Wisconsin voters ages 65 and older lack a state ID, that fully half of Wisconsin’s African-American and Latino voters lack ID and among young voters in Wisconsin, a whopping 78% of African-American men ages 18 to 24 lack a state ID.

The sacred covenant of our democracy is that on election day, all Americans have an equal say in shaping their government. We cannot let that right be taken away. The very soul of our nation’s character depends on it.

Most dorm arrangements are same sex and are based on grade or age similarities. This is to reduce the amount of anxiety and extra issues that can take place in a new living arrangement. However, we all know that this is not a complete resolution for all disagreements and disputes.

In fact, three weeks into the new dorm arrangements Bowie State University students  and roommates 19 year-old Alexis Simpson and 18 year-old Dominique Frazier seem  had trouble adjusting to one another. Small disputes over music being played in the dorm between Alexis and Dominique were reported to Campus Officials, but the notification process stopped there. A dispute over someone playing music can be considered minor, common, and not much to worry about. That is until a minor disagreement becomes threatening and in some cases deadly.

In the case of Miss Simpson and Miss Frazier the same common music disagreement became deadly. During an argument between the two roommates, Alexis Simpson reportedly stabbed Dominique Frazier in the neck with a pair of scissors. As Frazier bled out, Simpson left in panic. Frazier was pronounced dead and Simpson turned herself in to Georgia authorities. The 19 year-old is now awaiting trial for First Degree Murder as the Family of 18 year-old Dominique Frazier grieves the unexpected death. It is obvious that none of the previous disputes between the roommates were taken seriously enough to notify authorities.          

Two young lives have been put to waste due to a minor incident not being taken seriously enough. This all too common in our communities and leaves a lingering question: Should authorities be notified about every ”minor” dispute that takes place in hopes of preventing incidents similar to Bowie State University?

This week our organizers have been at the Milwaukee DMV scouting out potential barriers to a massive Voter ID drive, and I have to tell you, it’s not going to be easy. We were initially under the impression that anybody, including those that had recently moved or lost their IDs would be able to get free ones, but that’s not the case. Romero and Ken from the WI-League ran a test run at the DMV and they came up short.

We are going to still beat this thing, but it’s going to take some good old fashion organizing. So far this summer we’ve ID about 2,000 people who are interested in learning more about our Voter ID campaign. We can’t do it alone though and we need all the help that we can get to make sure that every vote counts.

We’re hitting up neighborhoods all over Milwaukee every day to get the word out. Sign up here to stand up and help young people get the IDs they need.

This is our defining moment to stand up and fight.  Join Us!

Back to the Future: Stand Up Speak Up
Budget Protest Rally
Saturday, February 26th, 1:00 – 2:30pm
MLK and North Ave, Milwaukee
RSVP on FB or Email Us.

The Beyond the Bricks project is a documentary and national community engagement campaign created with the goal of promoting local and national solutions to one of America’s critical problems: the consistently low performance of black males in school. During the Town Hall, we’ll discuss and plan what we can all do to create healthy communities for our youth to support them receiving a quality education.

If you’re in Milwaukee on Saturday, come check it out and join the conversation. Contact us at online-at-youngvoter-dot-org if you have any questions.