Posted March 30, 2016
Wisconsin’s presidential primary and local elections are set Tuesday, April 5, and will bring many citizens, including UW-River Falls students, to the polls. All voters should be aware of the state’s new photo ID law requiring them to present official government identification at the poll.
To vote in the primary, students must be registered. If they are not registered, prospective voters may do so at the City of River Falls clerk’s office, 222 Lewis St., or at the polls on Election Day, but must provide proof of current residence in Wisconsin.
On Election Day, voters must present a photo ID, such as a Wisconsin driver license, Wisconsin identification card, or U.S. passport.
If a student plans to use their UW-River Falls ID they must obtain a special voter ID card from the Division of Technology Services, located in 160 Chalmer Davee Library, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The special student ID card is aimed specifically at out-of-state students who may not have any other other form of identification other than their UWRF student ID.
River Falls City Clerk Lu Ann Hecht said that the newly implemented voter ID law was put in place by the state to discourage voter fraud at the polls. Several other states also have implemented voter ID laws.
“We in River Falls feel pretty confident we are not having voter fraud here,” Hecht said.
Though voting this primary may seem complicated, UWRF is trying to make the voting process for students as easy as possible on Election Day.
The Student Senate’s External Relations Committee is in charge of the voting process and is hoping to draw as many students to the polls on Election Day as possible. Director of External Relations Brady Murphy said that the goal for the committee is to make the process as smooth possible for students.
“I’m going to make sure there is information readily available regardless of process for students in the University Center, so that they can get access to the resources they need to know how to vote,” Murphy said.
Polls for the primary elections will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 5. Students living on campus west of the University Center vote at the UC. Students living east of the University Center vote at River Falls High School and transportation will be provided to the high school.
For more information on the photo ID law, visit http://bringit.wisconsin.gov or the campus website https://www.uwrf.edu/Vote. Additional details about voting in Wisconsin are available at http://myvote.wi.gov.
The article may be found online at https://uwrfjournalism.org/2016/03/on-election-day-wisconsin-voters-will-need-photo-id/.