Voter ID and Free Milwaukee Birth Certificates

After the Voter ID bill passed in Madison, County Supervisor Nikiya Harris was instrumental in passing legislation to provide FREE birth certificates to people born in Milwaukee County. The intention was to reduce the cost of acquiring the required ID needed to vote under the new law.

Even though the Voter ID bill has been struck down by two courts and hasn’t been taken up by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the free birth certificates are still available. At some point in the future the Supreme Court may take up the Voter ID bill and overturn the lower court ruling.

So if you were born in Milwaukee County and don’t have a copy of your birth certificate, now would be the time to get a copy. The program ends December 31, 2012.

Here is the information from County Supervisor Nikiya Harris:

Supervisor Harris made it possible for the county to provide 5,000 free birth certificates for any native of Milwaukee that needs a State issued ID.

To date (9/28/2012), Milwaukee County has provided 825 Free Birth Certificates for the purpose of voting.

In order to obtain a free birth certificate an applicant must fill out the the Birth Certificate Form along with the Form for Free Birth Records. You can find all the information you need at http://county.milwaukee.gov/VtialRecordsSystem9855.htm to obtain a birth record.

We would like for as many people to take advantage of this program. Until we have given out 5,000 birth records, the last day to obtain a pre-paid Birth Ceritificate will be on Dec 31, 2012.

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6 thoughts on “Voter ID and Free Milwaukee Birth Certificates

  1. Seems to me that if we aren’t going to have voter ID, then there’s no reason to offer free birth certificates.

  2. You got it backasswards, FMSN. The free birth certificates were offered due to the then intact voter ID bill … which may yet come into effect in the future. I thought you wanted everyone to vote, or isn’t that your plan (which would then confirm your side’s efforts at voter supression).

    Don’t let facts get in your way.

    1. It only seems fair that if voter ID is on hold, then so should anything free related to it also be on hold. That’s my point. What other facts are there to get in anybody’s way?

      I mean in your ideal world, voter ID is never enacted, but then a bunch of people get free IDs and birth certificates anyway?

  3. What’s the big deal about free IDs and birth certificates? In this day when the economy is not doing as well, and not everyone has the ability to travel or travel is exorbitant (I would have to drive 120 miles to get a copy), these items being free sounds like a great idea.

    1. Oh I think you are just purposely trying to antagonize me now. You do realize they aren’t actually “free.” Not sure what the compelling public interest to provide them for “free” (if there is no voter ID reason) in a bad economy. Where are you going to draw the line at that? Maybe mailing a letter should be free in a bad economy. Why stop at free IDs, why not free drivers licenses too. Free marriage licenses. Of course it all sounds like a great idea.

      But you are missing the point. The compelling reason to provide them for free was voter ID. Take a way the compelling reason, then there is no good reason to provide them for free. You don’t get to have your liberal judge nullify it AND still get freebies.

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