John Wolfe and Rita Platt
(photo by Art Juchno)
Now that photo IDs are required for voting in Wisconsin, Jennifer Rita Platt and John Wolfe drove 45 minutes from Osceola to the nearest Dept. of Motor Vehicles office in Hudson, only to be turned away. Governor Walker and state Republicans recently passed the Voter Photo ID Law, or Act 23, which has many Wisconsinites scrambling. Rita and John brought social security cards, current pay stubs, and drivers licenses from Iowa, but it wasnt enough. They need to pay for certified birth certificates, and wait for them to arrive in the mail, in order to secure a free Wisconsin ID card issued for voting. To complicate matters further for the couple, the computers at the DMV were down and unable to process their request.
Heres their story.
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Rita: On November 23 (2011), John and I drove down the day before Thanksgiving, because we were both lucky enough to have the day off hoping to get our Wisconsin drivers licenses. It is a long haul down to the DMV, and it takes some time at the DMV, and it is a long haul back up, so we wanted to do it on a day when we didnt have work.
So, as soon as we got there another customer told us that the computers were down and that hed been there all morning. We mustve gotten there sometime around 10 or 11:00 am, and he said hed been there since it opened [8:00]. And so we thought (Hugh rolled eyes), What a bummer! The one day we could come here the computers are down and we cant get our licenses. Then, the gals behind the counter encouraged us to get our paperwork filled out, in the hopes that when we were finished the computers would be up and running.
So, we filled out the paperwork, and the gal asked for my identification. I gave her my expired Iowa state drivers license. [Rita and John moved to WI 18 months ago] And I gave her my pay stub for my school district in St. Croix Falls, where I teach. She said these didnt count as proof of identification and that I needed either a certified birth certificate or a passport, neither of which I had. Then, I asked her if I could, at least, get a voter ID, since Id like to vote in the next election. She said, No. I couldnt get that either because Id need either a certified birth certificate or a valid passport to get a voter I.D., as well.
Finally, I told her that Id previously been a Wisconsin resident (from the mid 80s mid 90s) and that Id had a drivers license at that time. Then, she said, Oh, if youve already had a Wisconsin drivers license, then you can get a new one and you dont need the other proof. So, she got on the computer which, I still dont understand because she said it was down, but she was able to find some information on the computer about me. She was able to see my old license on the screen but for some reason she couldnt see enough information for it to count. So, at that point I knew that there was no chance to get a license or voter I.D.
I was super, super frustrated at that point. And, um, and you know, Id watched John struggle to get his, too, and also be denied. So, we left, and that was the end of the story for that day.
John: fair enough, computers go down but I went in there with a current Iowa drivers license, social security card, proof of residency here a bank statement, and a pay stub. They said, No, that doesnt count as proof of your identity. They also said that I had no proof that I was aUnited States citizen, because all a social security card says is that at some point I was allowed to work here. So, you know, it is hard in that situation to not want to argue with the women that are working there. But at the same time you realize that they are just employees.
What is your plan now? Do you still plan on getting your licenses or IDs?
Rita: Well, Im really lucky because I know that I will get my drivers license before the next election. I have a computer, so I went on to find out how to get a certified birth certificate. Im from California, so I have to fill out some online paperwork and pay $26 and wait for it to come. Then, the next time I go back it will have to be a day off work. So, that will be lost income, and then to spend the gas down and back the second time, with gas being close to $4 a gallon. Altogether, that is a ton of money. There are a couple of other DMV centers that are 30 minutes away, but they are only open 1-2 afternoons per month and only open during my working hours.
John: I was born in Arlington,Virginia and its going to take somewhere between $20 and $30 to order a certified birth certificate. But Im one of the lucky ones. I can take the time off work. I can have some flex time, and I have a pretty good salary. I have a reliable car. I can do all of this, and I will. But what worries me is that this is a law that will cause many people not to vote. I value democracy, and I want my fellow citizens to vote.
[According to UW Milwaukee, School of Continuing Education, Employment & Training Institute: Minorities and poor populations are the most likely to have drivers license problems. Less than half (47 percent) of Milwaukee County African American adults and 43 percent of Hispanic adults have a valid drivers license ...The situation for young adults ages 18-24 is even worse — with only 26 percent of African Americans and 34 percent of Hispanics in Milwaukee County with a valid license compared to 71 percent of young white adults in the Balance of State . An estimated 23 percent of persons aged 65 and over do not have a Wisconsin drivers license or a photo ID. The population of elderly persons 65 and older without a drivers license or a state photo ID totals 177,399 and of these 70 percent are women.]
What has been your experience voting in other states?
Rita: I was living in Wisconsin for my first election, at 18, and Ive voted in every election. I love adventure and travel, so Ive lived in a lot of different states. Ive voted in 5 different states and overseas. This is the first Ive ever had any trouble. Ive lived in rural Eskimo villages on the Bering Sea coast, and Ive voted overseas in Thailand. No problem. Now, here I am in Wisconsin raising my kids in theMidwest, with values that are so close to my own, and this is the first time Ive had any trouble trying to vote. Ive never missed a single election, and I certainly didnt want to miss the coming election (special election for the recall of Gov. Scott Walker).
It is sad to say, and Im certainly not a conspiracy theorist, in general, but it does seem a bit suspicious to me that this Voter ID law came up now, when our state is very divided and there is a lot anger. Here we have this law that has the potential to disenfranchise an incredible number of voters. You look at the statistics and this will affect a huge number of African American and Latino voters. It seems politically motivated.
John: Ive lived in Iowa, Illinois, Arizona, Japan, and Switzerland. Any other place Ive been, any other state, any other country, it was fairly simple to vote with some documentation, and now, suddenly, I was stopped cold.
There seems to be a double standard. You have these legislators who claim that we need this law to protect valid democracy. And yet depriving someone by setting up conditions that make it difficult to vote, for someone who has a right to vote, means a vote has not been counted. And that is a blow at the democratic process just as much as permitting someone to vote who shouldnt be allowed to. Yet, I dont see the Republican legislators wringing their hands and panicking over the fact that 100 or 1000 people who should be voting are not going to vote. You know, where is their concern for the validity for the voting process then?
How do we know that they are really “John Wolfe and Rita Platt”?
So, two boneheads out of millions can’t walk and chew gum at the same time but it is “news”? Nah.... This is a press release. Meaningless other than it tells us that the courts are going to waste time and money with these two morons. All that is happening here is that they are looking for a judge to kill a good law....
Gee Rita, if you hadn't been flitting around the wowrld, you'd know that this is a problem that has been discussed and debated in WI for at least 27 years (the length of time I've lived here). It has been passed (Voter ID) by the legislature a couple of times and vetoed by Dem Governors. Either you dn't know what you are talking about, or you are lying through your unionista teeth. Besides, Christmas vacation is coming up, I'm I'm sure that you will have a day off when the DMV is open.
>> “Rita: I was living in Wisconsin for my first election, at 18, and Ive voted in every election. I love adventure and travel, so Ive lived in a lot of different states. Ive voted in 5 different states and overseas. This is the first Ive ever had any trouble. Ive lived in rural Eskimo villages on the Bering Sea coast, and Ive voted overseas in Thailand.” <<
If she’s lived *and voted* in 5 different states *and* overseas, is there some reason why she doesn’t have a valid passport or other proof of citizenship that she could use??
This story stinks to high heaven. I’d give my left nut to be the judge on the lawsuit, asking a few pointed questions like:
“Do you have a valid passport, since you’ve traveled outside the US?”
“Do you have a valid state drivers license which is required for you to get within 60 days of residency in this state and you’ve been here and working for over a year. Have you been driving in this state without a valid drivers license?”
“Teachers/school district employees have quite a few days off that other privately employed do not get. Have you not been able to take advantage of those days off to apply for and get a valid drivers license and/or voter ID? Do you not have any paid vacation, personal days or sick leave which you could have used to get these licenses and ID”s?”
“Do you expect this court to believe that you are so incapable of reading and learning what the requirements are for obtaining a certified copy of your birth certificate or to take your passport with you to the DMV?”
“Case dismissed for lack of reasonable brain power on the part of the plaintiffs to function in daily life and understand their obligations as citizens.”
From the Wisconsin DOT Website:
Drivers with a Commercial Driver License (CDL) are required to apply for a Wisconsin driver license within 30 days. Other drivers new to Wisconsin are required to apply for a Wisconsin driver license within 60 days of establishing residency.
I have no sympathy for people who wasted a year and a half not bothering to get a driver's license from their new state of residence. Theya re too stupid to vote.