Wisconsin
Wisconsin verifies citizenship before issuing IDs to people without documents | Fact check
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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.
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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.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25
MADISON (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets, authorities said Sunday.
Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said.
“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
Owen Ziliak/The Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Those arrested included the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, who was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary. But most arrestees were just booked and released, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
“No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort,” Hsuing said in a statement from jail Sunday that also accused authorities of using excessive force. “The animals of this Earth are not “things.” They’re sentient beings. And we have the right to rescue them from abuse,” he concluded.
Protesters took 30 dogs when they broke into the facility in March, when authorities arrested 27 people.
Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 in a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website, the company says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
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About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
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