Judge: Wisconsin residents lacking photo IDs can vote in November

A federal district court judge says Wisconsin residents lacking photo identification can vote in the November general election.

The judge issued an order to that effect on July 19.

The preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, based in Milwaukee, allows people who haven't been able to obtain IDs to vote, provided they sign an affidavit stating why they couldn't get identification.

However, Adelman says there isn't enough time before state's Aug. 9 primary to implement the option to sign an affidavit.

The judge's order responds to a motion for an injunction filed in June by the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty.

Sean Young, an attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, responded to the decision in a news release. “Wisconsin’s voter ID law has been a mistake from day one," Young said. "This ruling is a strong rebuke of the state’s efforts to limit access to the ballot box. It means that a failsafe will be in place in November for voters who have had difficulty obtaining ID.”

The case is Ruthelle Frank et al v. Scott Walker.