From Marie Baker

Dodgeville

To the Editor:

I’m voting no on the November 5 constitutional amendment question, and I urge others to do the same. 

All eligible Wisconsin voters have the right to cast a ballot and make their voice heard. This anti-voter amendment would change the language of our state’s constitution. It could open the door to discriminatory practices, disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of eligible voters. 

Changing the language from “every” citizen to “only” citizens would allow lawmakers to further limit our right to vote.

We can look at other states to see the harm. When a law requiring registrants to show citizenship documents was implemented in Kansas, between eight and fourteen percent of new registrants — almost all were eligible voters — were blocked in the first years of the requirement, according to the Brennan Center. 

Not to mention, getting the necessary documents can be both expensive and time-consuming. Processing time can take several months — during which an eligible voter could be deprived of their right to vote. This could be especially challenging for older voters who don’t have updated paperwork, students who leave their documents at their parents’ house, married women who have changed their name and many, many voters who don’t have hundreds of dollars and hours to spare. 

Visit LWVWI.org to learn more about this constitutional amendment. Visit MyVote.WI.Gov to register to vote, find early voting locations, find your polling place and more. Remember, vote no!