STATEMENT FROM ROCK THE VOTE ON COURT DECISION TO UPHOLD WISCONSIN VOTER ID LAWS

Rock the Vote President Ashley Spillane released the following statement in response to today’s Wisconsin Supreme Court decision to uphold voter ID requirements:

“Rock the Vote is troubled by the decision issued this morning by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to uphold the state’s photo voter ID laws. Demanding that individuals provide photo identification to vote is a undue burden on our most basic rights as citizens, and an undisguised attempt to suppress voter turnout among Americans who are less likely to carry ID – specifically, minority and youth voters. While this decision will not require individuals to provide voter ID at the polls this November, it may lead to stricter voter ID laws in Wisconsin in the future.  Rock the Vote stands with the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Branch of the NAACP in their efforts to dismantle these harmful laws.”

ABOUT ROCK THE VOTE

Rock the Vote is the largest non-profit and non-partisan organization in the United States driving the youth vote to the polls. Fusing pop culture, politics, and technology, Rock the Vote works to mobilize the millennial voting bloc and the youth vote, protect voting rights, and advocate for an electoral process and voting system that works for the 21st century electorate.

Since 1990, Rock the Vote has revolutionized the use of pop culture, music, art and technology to inspire political activity. Now, for almost 25 years, Rock the Vote has pioneered ways to make voting easier by simplifying and demystifying voter registration and elections for young adults.

Rock the Vote has run the largest voter registration drives for young people on record during the past six Presidential elections. In 2008 and 2012, our on-the-ground efforts, online organizing, and cutting-edge tools and technologies made us the largest non-partisan voter engagement campaign in the nation.

All of these efforts have resulted in Rock the Vote registering over six million new voters, bringing millions more to the polls, and becoming a trusted resource for young people, government agencies, and technological innovators passionate about political discourse and engagement.

Rock the Vote recently launched an online petition “Rock the Vote, Don’t Block Our Vote” calling on lawmakers to roll back restrictive laws designed to suppress voter turnout.  You can see the petition here: http://www.rockthevote.org/enough/.