Wisconsin adds voter ID requirement to state Constitution with ballot measure getting overwhelming support

Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly supported a ballot measure on Tuesday to add a voter ID requirement to the state’s Constitution. 

The measure was backed by 63.1% of voters, with 36.9% opposed, according to the Associated Press, which projected it to pass with 89% of the vote counted. 

“VOTER I.D. JUST APPROVED IN WISCONSIN ELECTION,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social, celebrating the success of the ballot measure. 

“Democrats fought hard against this, presumably so they can CHEAT,” Trump continued. “This is a BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS, MAYBE THE BIGGEST WIN OF THE NIGHT.”

“IT SHOULD ALLOW US TO WIN WISCONSIN, LIKE I JUST DID IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, FOR MANY YEARS TO COME!” 

The measure amends Wisconsin’s Constitution to require photo identification when voting. 

Wisconsin state law already required voters to show identification, but enshrining the law into the Constitution makes it much more difficult for state legislatures or the courts to undo it. 

Acceptable forms of ID for voting include “photographic identification issued by this state, by the federal government, by a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state, or by a college or university in this state, that verifies the elector’s identity,” according to an explanation of the ballot measure released by Wisconsin lawmakers. 

“If an elector is unable to present valid photographic identification before voting on election day, the elector must be given the opportunity to cast a provisional ballot and present valid photographic identification at a later time and place, as provided by law,” the lawmakers noted. 

Laws in 36 states require or request that voters show some type of identification before casting a ballot, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Of those states, nine, including Wisconsin, require photo ID. 

While the Republican-backed ballot measure was approved, the Democrat-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, Susan Crawford, was able to defeat her conservative challenger, Brad Schimel. 

Crawford, a Dane County Circuit Court judge supported by labor unions and Planned Parenthood, bested Schimel, a former GOP state attorney general endorsed by Trump and Elon Musk, by about a 9 percentage point margin. 

The jurist will serve a 10-year term on Wisconsin’s high court, which will remain liberal-majority and is expected to make major rulings on redistricting that could impact 2026 midterm election races.