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Yes.
Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford has opposed the state’s voter identification law.
The 2011 law requires proof of identification to vote. Because of court challenges, it didn’t take effect until 2016.
Crawford was one of three lawyers in a 2011 lawsuit challenging the requirement, which the Supreme Court rejected.
In 2016, Crawford said the law would be “acceptable” if voters could sign an affidavit swearing to their identity rather than providing proof of identification.
In 2018, she called the law “draconian.”
A University of Wisconsin-Madison study estimated the law prevented 4,000-11,000 Milwaukee and Dane county residents from voting in the 2016 presidential election.
The University of California, Berkeley, reported in 2023 that many studies found voter ID laws have little to no impact on voter turnout nationally, while others indicate “a disproportionate negative impact” on minority groups.
Crawford, a Dane County judge, is running April 1, 2025, against conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Wisconsin Legislative Council: 2011 Wisconsin Act 23
- University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalsm: Wisconsin’s voter ID controversy: What you need to know
- Wisconsin Circuit Court Access: Dane County Case Number 2011CV004669 League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Network Inc et al vs. Scott Walker et al
- Justia: League of Women Voters of Wis. Educ. Network, Inc. v. Walker
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