Wisconsin Republicans say voter ID laws are supported by 70% to 80% of the public

Wisconsinites will soon have a chance to weigh in on the state’s voter ID law. The April 1 ballot will include a referendum question asking if the voter ID requirement should be enshrined in the state constitution. 

At a Jan. 8 news conference announcing the referendum, Republicans argued the majority of the public — including in Wisconsin — supports requiring voters to show their ID before getting a ballot.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the referendum will allow voters an "opportunity to give us their final say on something that is supported, if you look at any poll, by 70 to 80% of the public."

If the referendum fails, Wisconsin’s voter ID law would still remain in place. If passed, it would elevate the law to the state constitution, making it harder for the state Supreme Court to overturn it or future lawmakers to repeal it.

"The left has chosen one of the most extreme liberals to run for the state Supreme Court," Vos added, referring to Susan Crawford, who as an attorney represented plaintiffs challenging the voter ID law. 

"When 80% of the public in Wisconsin is in favor of an idea, I don’t know who would be afraid of that, except the person who’s with the 20% and is on the ballot," he said.

So, Republicans are also saying this level of support exists in Wisconsin, not just nationwide. Let’s look at the most recent polling available. 

When PolitiFact Wisconsin contacted Vos’ office, his chief of staff, Jenny Toftness, pointed us to two polls, including a nationwide one Gallup released in October 2024.

That poll found 84% of the public supports requiring voters to provide photo identification at their polling place, with 15% opposed. 

That support breaks down into 98% of Republicans who favor voter ID, compared to 84% of independents and 67% of Democrats, Gallup found.

The poll randomly sampled more than 1,000 adults living in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to its methodology section. 

PolitiFact Wisconsin also looked at a similar poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, which state Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, cited at the news conference. That poll was released in February 2024. 

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That poll showed 81% support requiring government-issued photo identification to vote, with 18% opposed. That includes 95% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats.

Vos’ office also referenced the Marquette University Law School poll, considered one of the nations highest-quality polls.

Marquette asked the following question across multiple polls in 2012, 2014 and 2021: "Do you favor or oppose requiring a government-issued photo ID to vote?"

In a poll of Wisconsin registered voters released Aug. 11, 2021, 74% favored voter ID, and 21% opposed it. Five percent didn’t know, and 1% refused to answer. 

When broken down by party, support was at 92% among Republicans, 71% among independents and 55% among Democrats.

Interestingly, 74% is a higher measure of support than when the Marquette poll asked the same question multiple times in 2012 and 2014. 

Support hovered around 60% for most of that period, dropping as low as 58% in a October 2014 poll, and reaching as high as 66% in January 2012, the first time the question was asked.

Former Gov. Scott Walker signed the voter ID law in 2011, but it didn’t take effect until the 2016 presidential election cycle because of court challenges.

Although that data is more than 3 years old, Republicans are still referencing the most up-to-date polling in Wisconsin, because Marquette hasn’t asked the question since 2021.

Vos said "70 to 80% of the public" in Wisconsin and the country supports requiring photo identification to vote. 

National polling from Pew and Gallup released in 2024 shows more than 80% of the public supports voter ID, including majorities of Democrats.

The Marquette poll last asked about voter ID in 2021 and found support was at 74%, a jump from 2012 and 2014.

Vos at one point said 80% of Wisconsinites support voter ID. That’s rounding up quite a bit, but he said 70% to 80% earlier in the press conference. And 74% is in the middle of that range. 

We rate his claim True.