The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a challenge to Wisconsin’s voter identification law, after having blocked the state from requiring photo IDs in November’s general election.
The justices’ action means the state is free to impose the voter ID requirement in future elections, including one just two weeks away. The decision is further evidence that the court put the law on hold last year only because the election was close at hand and absentee ballots already had been mailed with no notification of the need to present photo IDs.
The court did not comment on its order.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the order means the voter ID requirement will be in effect for the April 7 election. Early in-person absentee voting began on Monday and, similar to last year when the law was blocked, absentee ballots have already been mailed without notification that photo IDs would be required.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed an emergency motion with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago asking that the law remain blocked through the upcoming election because there isn’t enough time to implement it before then.
Having it take effect now “would cause all kind of confusion,” said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights project.
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