5-29-13 election reforms

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Republican lawmaker says a sweeping bill to reform Wisconsin's election regulations would negate legal concerns about voters showing photo identification at the polls.

Current state law requires voters to show photo identification at the polls. Two Dane County judges have struck the law down, though. Rep. Jeff Stone's bill would make a multitude of changes to Wisconsin election law, chief among them a provision allowing voters to opt out of the requirement if they tell poll officials they're poor and can't obtain an ID without paying a fee; they have a religious objection to being photographed; or they can't get the documentation needed to obtain an ID. Stone says the provisions are designed to address concerns raised in the Dane County cases.