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FACT BRIEF

Are active-duty military personnel the only residents in Wisconsin who can register to vote without ID?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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NO

All military voters, permanent overseas voters and those who are indefinitely confined do not have to show photo identification to request an absentee ballot to vote in Wisconsin.

In addition, military voters are not required to register to vote. While permanent overseas and indefinitely confined voters must register, that process does not require ID or a proof of residence document. 

Military voters can be service people on active or inactive duty, members of the Merchant Marine, civilian employees and Peace Corps volunteers and spouses and dependents residing with members from the aforementioned groups.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is considering requiring military voters to present a standard ID issued by the Department of Defense. This comes in response to a Milwaukee election official who was charged with fraudulently obtaining ballots on behalf of fictitious military members.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Federal Voting Assistance Program Wisconsin
DocumentCloud Wisconsin Military and Overseas Voters
State of Wisconsin Indefinitely Confined Voters
State of Wisconsin Voter registration application (EL-131, 131H, 131S)
PBS Wisconsin Wisconsin election officials weigh changes to military voting
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.