This academic research explains in detail why so many legitimate citizens lack identification. Voter ID laws disenfranchise them. The facts are shocking:
The Driver License Status of the Voting Age Population in Wisconsin
http://www4.uwm.edu/eti/barriers/DriversLicense.pdf
Findings:
1. Many adults do not have either a drivers license or a photo ID. An estimated 23 percent of persons aged 65 and over do not have a Wisconsin drivers license or a photo ID. The population of elderly persons 65 and older without a drivers license or a state photo ID totals 177,399, and of these 70 percent are women. While racial data was not available on the state population with photo IDs, 91 percent of the state’s elderly without a Wisconsin drivers license are white. An estimated 98,247 Wisconsin residents ages 35 through 64 also do not have either a drivers license or a photo ID.
2. Minorities and poor populations are the most likely to have drivers license problems. Less than half [[47 percent) of Milwaukee County African American adults and 43 percent of Hispanic adults have a valid drivers license compared to 85 percent of white adults in the Balance of State [[BOS, i.e., outside Milwaukee County). The situation for young adults ages 18-24 is even worse -- with only 26 percent of African Americans and 34 percent of Hispanics in Milwaukee County with a valid license compared to 71 percent of young white adults in the Balance of State.
3. A large number of licensed drivers have had their licenses suspended or revoked, many for failure to pay fines and forfeitures rather than traffic points violations. The drivers license file shows 39,685 individuals in Milwaukee County who have drivers licenses but also recent suspensions or revocations on their licenses. Another 49,804 Milwaukee County adults had a recent suspension/revocation but no license with the DOT. Only 65 percent of adults in Milwaukee County have a current and valid Wisconsin drivers license, compared to 83 percent of adults in the Balance of State.
4. A portion of the population with a drivers license and a recent suspension or revocation may retain their license as an ID for voting and others may secure a state photo ID. These licenses cannot be renewed, however, without clearing up the outstanding fines and fees.
5. Students without a Wisconsin drivers license or a Wisconsin photo ID would need to obtain either one to vote. Those students and young adults living away from home but retaining their permanent home address on their drivers license need to provide proof of residence to vote prior to registration under current laws. Because the drivers license is a valid ID, regardless of address, few if any in this population would have a photo ID with a current address. These individuals may have a Wisconsin or out-of-state drivers license but not one with a current address. At UWM, Marquette University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a total of 12,624 students live in residence halls, but only 280 [[2 percent) have drivers licenses with these dorms’ addresses. All others require special handling to vote under proposed and current legislation.
6. The population that changes residence frequently is most likely to have a drivers license address that differs from their current residence. This would include lower-income residents who rent and students and young adults living away from home [[who are likely to have a drivers license listing an incorrect address or their permanent home address). To illustrate this point, 16 Wisconsin ZIP codes were identified which have the highest concentration of undergraduate students [[both in dorms and in apartments). These ZIP codes had 118,075 young voting age adults [[ages 18-24) but 83,981 [[or 71 percent) 18-24 year olds did not have a drivers license with this current ZIP code address. Over half of the adults of the 18-24 year old age group did not have a drivers license with an address in their current ZIP code for college neighborhoods in Eau Claire, LaCrosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point, Stout, and Whitewater. All of those without a current address on their drivers license or ID need to provide proof of residence.