Wisconsin has strict voter ID rules, only accepting a few types of photo IDs for voting. Jennie told me that getting an acceptable ID is THE biggest challenge that students face.
“Some of these kids might not even have [a birth certificate] — they might have moved three or four times and their parents may not have brought it with them, or it got lost in a folder somewhere. Getting the underlying documents that you need to obtain an ID can be a challenge.”
Jennie has identified a “Voter Champion” at each Milwaukee public high school. Voter Champions are faculty members who are in charge of the voter education process at their school. If a student comes to register to vote but doesn’t have an ID, then the Voter Champion puts them in touch with VoteRiders, and VoteRiders helps them get that ID — free of charge.
“Voting is important,” Jennie told me. “Everybody can have their own opinion and their own beliefs, but it’s important to teach kids the importance of democracy, that they do have a voice, that they have the power to cast a ballot and say, ‘This is what I want.’”
Read more from my conversation with Jennie!
Sincerely,
Erin Carden
Digital Communications Coordinator
VoteRiders
P.S. It can cost as much as $50 to secure an underlying document like a birth certificate. VoteRiders always covers all the fees for getting an ID. Can you chip in to help?
