The claim: Wisconsin offers a free ID card that ‘lets illegals vote’

An April 12 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) features a video captioned, “I guess if a liberal state lets illegals vote that makes it legal?”

A person in the video says, “As we know they have been shipping a lot of illegal people all over the country. And they’re bringing them into Wisconsin now.”

The speaker then points to a Wisconsin government website that says people can get an ID for voting even if they lack the documentation to get a regular Wisconsin ID. The speaker concludes, “If this isn’t election interference … I don’t know what is.”

The post was liked more than 500 times in two weeks.

More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

Our rating: False

Wisconsin offers a pathway for people without identity documents to get a free ID that can be used for voting, but the ID is only for citizens. The state verifies citizenship in the application process and doesn’t allow non-citizens to vote, in line with federal election law. The state does allow the applicant to vote for up to 60 days while that verification is pending, meaning there’s a potential window where a non-citizen could lie on an application and be able to vote, but that would risk perjury charges.

State assists with verifying identity, citizenship

Wisconsin requires photo ID for voting. When residents interested in voting do not have the documents confirming their identity or citizenship that are usually needed to get an ID, the state’s Department of Transportation can still provide a free ID card, Wisconsin DMV Administrator Tommy Winkler Jr. told USA TODAY. But the pathway to get an ID for voting is only for citizens, contrary to the social media claim.

Wisconsin statute 343.165(8) establishes the pathway, allowing people to petition for a free ID that can be used for voting even if they lack a birth certificate, social security card or other relevant documents. The applicant must complete two forms, certifying they are a citizen, stating their address and providing information such as date and place of birth that can be used to confirm identity and citizenship. Alternative records that can be submitted to aid the process include entries in a family Bible, doctor’s notes or early school records, according to the statute.

“Every applicant certifies under penalty of perjury that the information they provide on the application certifying they are a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age by the next election is true,” Winkler said.

The state then contacts relevant agencies and works with the applicant if more information is needed to confirm birth and citizenship, Winkler said. A citizenship verification can often be completed in a day, while more complex reviews can take longer. Federal law says only citizens can vote in federal elections.

“The department shall grant a petition if the department concludes, on the basis of secondary documentation or other corroborating information, that it is more likely than not that the name, date of birth, and U.S. citizenship provided in the application is correct,” the statute reads.

Fact check: False claim new no-ID voters are ‘skyrocketing’ in Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona

This also isn’t new, though the post implies it is connected to a recent influx of immigrants. The alternative pathway has been in use in Wisconsin since at least 2016, when employees at several DMV locations were recorded giving inaccurate information about the alternative pathway to people seeking IDs, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The state issues a receipt within six days of getting a petition that can be used as identification for voting purposes for up to 60 days as the verification process goes on, according to the statute. While that theoretically creates a window for a non-citizen to vote, only three non-citizens have been referred for prosecution since 2019 for voting in a Wisconsin election, according to a PBS Wisconsin report. The report said most cases of non-citizens voting involved confusion over eligibility.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Snopes also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• Tommy Winkler Jr., April 19, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Wisconsin Legislature, accessed April 19, 343.165(8)
• Wisconsin DMV, accessed April 19, Wisconsin ID card for voting purposes – petition process (IDPP)
• USAGov, updated Feb. 20, Who can and cannot vote
• PBS Wisconsin, April 12, How often do non-US citizens vote in Wisconsin elections?
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oct. 3, 2016, DMV workers at 7 more stations give wrong voter ID info

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.

FOX VALLEY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – While enrollment in four-year colleges is on the decline, it’s a different story for tech schools.

Wisconsin’s tech school enrollment, this year, is about 284,000 students, statewide. That’s up about 10% from last year.

Fox Valley Technical College is one of 16 schools in the Wisconsin Tech College System.

As she wraps up her system-wide “Tour of Excellence” system president, Morna Foy, marked her 11th stop with a visit to Fox Valley Tech’s Public Safety Training Facility.

“This is just an amazing facility,” said Foy about the training grounds.

The multi-million dollar facility, which hosted a “Women in Public Safety” event during Foy’s visit, is just one aspect of the college that continues to see growth.

Foy crediting the tech system founders and their belief of building schools that are embedded within the communities they serve – a mindset that still rings true a century later.

She said, “We also deliver programming that we know there’s a job, in the area, for our graduates. So, that’s really the foundation to most of our programming decisions.”

Because the community needs are continuously changing, the tech colleges need to be flexible. That flexibility allows the schools to not only meet the needs of local employers, but also the needs of students – who now more than ever want a say in their education.

“Our program offerings don’t stay stuck. We are not offering the same things that we offered 100 years ago and we’re not offering the same things we offered 10 years ago. And that is because when we don’t have student interest, we don’t have job opportunities – even if we love that program, even if it was a program that was long lived and really important here for many decades, if it’s not right now we’re not going to continue to offer that and continue to make the expense of doing so,” said Foy.

Thanks to community support and state funding, the tech college system remains an affordable option for students, making it an attractive for those exploring careers or those looking to expand their education.

While finically stable, Foy says the system could always use more funding as it’s already stretching resources will exceeding demand.

Foy added, “We want to do more dual enrollment, most of which is provided completely free of charge to high schools and families. We want to do more customized training or work based situated training which means faculty going out into businesses and industry. We want to do more of this type of training for our local law enforcement agencies and there’s just a limit to our capacity without new investments.”

MILWAUKEE – A lot has changed since 1988. Ronald Reagan was president. George Michael ruled the charts. The Bradley Center opened in downtown. It was also a defining year for a Milwaukee man who is now on the run.

“His incident offense involved the use of a weapon,” the U.S. Marshal on the case said.

Israel Israel was just 19 years old when he was arrested for first-degree sexual assault. Investigators said he committed the crime against a woman he did not know, in a public place.

“It involved the threat of force. It involved the forceful sexual assault of another individual against their will,” the marshal said.

Israel was convicted in January 1989 and spent 27 years in prison. He was let out on a mandatory release in 2016. He complied for just a short time.

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

“He was placed on GPS and he was released into the community. Although there was some level of compliance then, it deteriorated quickly,” the investigator said.

Israel went back to prison and was released again in September 2023. He was placed on a mandatory lifetime GPS and the sex offender registry.

“Within days of release, Israel chose again to abscond from supervision, cutting off his GPS bracelet and going on the run,” the marshal said. 

The now 55-year-old man has spent more time in prison than on the outside. Though decades have passed, U.S. Marshals say time has not brought wisdom.

“His mindset may not have changed much during those 27 years,” the investigator said.

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

Israel Israel is described as being 6’4″ tall and weighing 230 pounds. He uses the aliases “Jerry Coleman” and “Andre Allen.” He is believed to be in the Milwaukee area. 

U.S. Marshals encourage anyone with information about Israel to call the U.S. Marshals tip line at 414-297-3707. You will remain anonymous.