New process Will Assist Voters in Obtaining State ID Cards
For the City-Times
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Department of Health Services (DHS) Vital Records Office have joined together to put a new process in place that will help citizens get a state identification card (ID) for voting without paying government fees.
The agencies are initiating the process to assist people who don’t have the required birth certificates or other underlying documents that are required for a state ID card. Typically, these customers would need to pay a fee to obtain the documentation. Starting on Monday, September 15, DMV and DHS will work together to provide a free verification process. DMV already has a process in place to waive the standard ID card fee if the ID is requested for voting.
“Each DMV Service Center has steps in place to support the customer with the process and to make it as quick and easy as possible to obtain a state ID.” said Patrick Fernan, DMV Administrator.
The new verification process will be available to those customers who have never obtained a Wisconsin driver license or ID card and whose documentation is unavailable to prove their U.S. citizenship, names or dates of birth. Individuals must also be at least 18 years old on the date of the next election to be eligible to vote in Wisconsin.
“We are working to ensure that individuals seeking a Wisconsin ID are able to satisfactorily prove their identity through a seamless process. This is a great opportunity for state agencies to work together to assist our customers in obtaining an ID card,” said Oskar Anderson, DHS State Registrar.
The partnership with Vital Records enables DMV to be confident that the customer is entitled to a Wisconsin ID. The process continues to protect the integrity of the Wisconsin ID card and to protect citizens from identity theft.
Complete details on obtaining a Wisconsin ID card are available on the web at www.wisconsindmv.gov. DMV customers are reminded to only use the official .gov website. Websites with .org and .com are not official and may have extra charges for forms or list information that is outdated or incorrect.