Voter ID measure on the ballot in Wisconsin on April 1

By

Ballotpedia staff

Welcome to the Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, Brew. 

By: Lara Bonatesta

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. Voter ID measure on the ballot in Wisconsin on April 1 
  2. Thirty-five state legislative chambers have or will select new leaders in 2025
  3. Did you know that 45 states require a majority of state lawmakers to be present in a chamber to conduct official business?

Voter ID measure on the ballot in Wisconsin on April 1 

On April 1, Wisconsin voters will decide a constitutional amendment to require photo identification to vote. The Legislature voted to send the amendment to voters on Jan. 14.

While Wisconsin state law has required voters to show photo ID since 2011, this measure would add the requirement to the state’s constitution. If approved, voters would need to approve another constitutional amendment to remove it. According to Votebeat Wisconsin, the measure wouldn’t change the state’s current law but would allow for future modifications.

The Wisconsin Require Voter Photo Identification Amendment authorizes the Legislature to establish acceptable forms of photo ID and exceptions to the requirement. Voters who do not provide a valid form of photo ID on Election Day would be permitted to cast a provisional ballot and have until 4 p.m. on the Friday following Election Day to show a photo ID.

For an amendment to make the ballot, the Wisconsin Legislature must approve it by a majority vote in two successive sessions. In the 2023-2024 session, the state Assembly voted 62-35 to approve the photo ID amendment, and the state Senate approved it 21-20. During the 2025-2026 session, the Assembly voted 54-45 to approve the amendment, and the Senate approved it 17-15. In all four votes, all Republicans voted to approve the amendment, and all Democrats voted to reject it. 

Amendment supporters say the Wisconsin Supreme Court could strike down the existing photo ID law. Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-85) said, “If we wait on something like this, then (the court) could rule that the photo ID is unconstitutional, and then it would be a harder time.” In 2014, the Wisconsin Supreme Court – which had a 4-3 conservative majority at the time – upheld the photo ID law. 

Lisa Hassenstab, the public policy manager at Disability Rights Wisconsin, opposes the requirement. She said, “A number of Wisconsin residents who have a disability don’t drive, they don’t have a driver’s license, they may not have other photo ID required to vote. Positioning the DMV as the primary place for Wisconsinites to get a photo ID increases barriers for a number of people.”

On the same ballot as the photo ID amendment, voters will also elect a new member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. For our coverage of that race, click here.

Nine states have voted on ballot measures to enact voter photo ID requirements. Eight were approved, including a constitutional amendment in Nevada that needs to be approved a second time in 2026 to take effect. Five of these measures –  in Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Carolina – added voter ID requirements to their respective states’ constitutions. One measure – which would have added a voter ID requirement to Minnesota’s constitution – was defeated in 2012. 

Proponents of a voter photo ID law submitted signatures in Maine on Jan. 6. Citizen initiatives are indirect in Maine. The Legislature will consider the initiative, and if it rejects or does not act on it, the measure will appear before voters on Nov. 4, 2025.

Voters in North Carolina will also decide on a legislatively-referred voter photo ID amendment in 2026. That measure would require all voters to show photo ID in order to cast a ballot. As of 2024, the photo voter ID requirement only applied to those voting in person.

Thirty-five states require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day. Of these states, 23 require voters to present identification containing a photograph, with certain exceptions, and 12 states do not explicitly require photo identification. The remaining 15 states do not require photo ID in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.

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Thirty-five state legislative chambers have or will select new leaders in 2025

As state legislatures around the country convene for their 2025 sessions, lawmakers are determining who their legislative leaders will be. Earlier this week, we wrote about the election for speaker of the Texas House. Click here to see that coverage.

Ballotpedia identified 35 anticipated and implemented leadership changes across both chambers. These include changes in senate presidents, senate president pro tempore, majority leaders, and house speakers.

Let’s start with some background information from the 2024 elections:

  • Forty-four states held elections for 85 of the nation’s 99 state legislative chambers in 2024.
  • Two chambers changed partisan control. Republicans won a majority in the Michigan House and secured a tie in the Minnesota House. 
  • In total, Democrats control 39 chambers, Republicans control 57 chambers, and power-sharing coalitions control two chambers. See below for an update on the Minnesota House.

State House leadership changes

In the nation’s 49 lower legislative chambers, 17 elected new speakers, while 32 retained incumbents. 

The chart below shows the states where new speakers were elected and the circumstances surrounding their elections. 

Here are some notable and interesting speaker elections that have taken place so far:

  • Alaska: Rep. Bryce E. Edgmon (I) was elected speaker in Alaska after Democrats, independents, and Republicans entered into a multipartisan, power-sharing coalition. Edgmon is the only independent to hold a speakership in the country. 
  • Michigan: Rep. Matt Hall (R) was elected the speaker of the Michigan House after Republicans won control of the chamber in November. 
  • Minnesota: As we noted in Wednesday’s Brew, House Republicans elected Rep. Lisa Demuth (R) on Jan. 14 after Democrats boycotted the start of the 2025 session. Control of the House was split after the 2024 election, and a December court order shifted the partisan balance to a 67-66 Republican majority with one vacancy. Republicans argued that the majority authorized them to elect a speaker and control committee assignments. Democrats, who have petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court to declare the speaker election and other actions invalid, said the Republican majority is temporary and that lawmakers can take no action without 68 votes. Democrats also said they would boycott the session in the absence of a power-sharing agreement.
  • Pennsylvania: Incumbent Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) was re-elected in a second voice vote after Republican challenger Rep. Jesse Topper withdrew his candidacy. The House was tied 101-101 during leadership votes after Rep. Matthew Gergely (D) was hospitalized. 
  • Texas: As we noted in Thursday’s Brew, members of the Texas House elected Rep. Dustin Burrows (R) on Jan. 14. Burrows defeated Rep. David Cook (R) in the second round of voting 85-55. Forty-nine Democrats and 36 Republicans voted for Burrows. Incumbent Dade Phelan (R), first elected to the speakership in 2021, did not run for a third term.

State Senate leadership changes

In the nation’s 50 upper legislative chambers, 18 elected new presiding officers, while 32 retained incumbent leadership. 

The chart below shows the states where new leaders were elected and the circumstances surrounding their elections. 

Here are some notable and interesting Senate leadership elections that have taken place so far:

Sixty-four chambers retained their elected officers.

Keep reading 

Did you know that 45 states require a majority of state lawmakers to be present in a chamber to conduct official business? The minimum number of members required to conduct official business is known as quorum.

In those 45 states, the majority party can typically maintain a quorum without any minority party assistance.

Quorum requirements in Indiana, Massachusetts, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas are different, however. 

  • In Massachusetts, a quorum is defined as two-fifths in the Senate and three-eighths in the House. 
  • A quorum is defined as two-thirds of members in Indiana, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas, meaning that minority party members are typically required to conduct legislative activity (unless members from one party hold a two-thirds majority on their own).

You can learn more about quorum requirements here.