Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
I join my colleagues in call for photo ID
By Mary Lazich
Thursday, Mar 6 2008, 10:54 AM
I issued the following press release this morning on photo ID:
LAZICH JOINS OTHER GOP SENATORS IN CALL FOR PHOTO ID
Senate Democrats refuse to schedule constitutional amendment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sen. Lazich
THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008 (608) 266-5400
(MADISON)- State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) is urging Senate Democrats to schedule a vote in the Senate on a constitutional amendment that would require a photo ID to vote. Republican Senators held a news conference this morning outside the state Senate chamber.
“An overwhelming majority of voters across Wisconsin, Republican and Democrat, want the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment, but the Senate Democrats continue to stand in the way, obstructing the will of the people,” said Lazich.
Assembly Joint Resolution 17 (AJR 17), the proposed constitutional amendment requiring photo ID must be approved by the state Senate before the current legislative session ends next Thursday, March 13 in order for the issue to go to voters in a statewide referendum. Lazich is a co-sponsor of AJR 17.
“Voters are clamoring for photo ID,” said Lazich. “With the credibility and integrity of our elections in question, Wisconsinites want the chance to speak out on this issue, and Senate Democrats are denying voters the opportunity.”
According to a statewide survey released by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI) during October 2005, “Wisconsin residents, by a 63% to 30% margin, clearly favor a constitutional amendment to require photo ID’s for voting.” The same study says “69% of the residents support requiring photo ID’s to vote, while only 27% oppose such a requirement.” The WPRI study also says support for a constitutional amendment is strong in most parts of the state. There is not a region that opposes such an amendment.
Lazich also points to a study released during January 2008 by The Center for Democracy and Election Management at American University that provides evidence that photo ID’s are not obstacles to voting. A random sample of registered voters in Indiana, Mississippi and Maryland found that only 1.2 percent of registered voters lack a government-issued photo ID.
The issue of showing a photo ID as a requirement of voting does not appear to be a serious concern in the three surveyed states. Almost all registered voters have an acceptable form of photo ID available (e.g., driver’s license, passport, military ID or some combination of these documents). Nearly all, 96 percent of voters in this study said showing a photo ID would not make them less likely to vote.
“A photo ID requirement returns confidence to our system that has been rocked by voter fraud,” said Lazich. “It ensures that every voter casting a legal ballot is not disenfranchised by a fraudulently cast ballot. Sadly, a group of 18 Senate Democrats, with urging from Governor Doyle, is thwarting the will of the people and standing in the way of common sense public policy.”
