On April 1, Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment to add voter photo ID to the state constitution. As of April 2, the margin was 62.74% to 37.26%. 

State law already requires photo ID to vote. By adding the requirement to the Wisconsin Constitution, Question 1 effectively raised the threshold to make changes to the requirement by requiring another constitutional amendment approved by voters, whereas changes to state law require simple majorities in the state legislature. 

The state law was passed in 2011 and was challenged in two separate lawsuits but upheld by the conservative majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court during its 2013-2014 term. Adding the requirement to the state constitution will likely prevent state courts from invalidating the law based on other provisions in the state constitution.

Between 2004 and 2024, voters in nine states decided on 10 ballot measures related to voter identification. Only two measures—one in Arizona and one in Minnesota—were not approved. Six states added a photo ID voter requirement to their respective state constitutions, and two states (Arizona and Oklahoma) passed statutory requirements. The average “yes” vote was 67.42%.

Ballot measures related to voter identification are also on the ballot in Maine, Nevada, and North Carolina for elections in 2025 and 2026. Nevada Question 7 needs to be approved a second time in 2026 after it was approved in 2024. The Nevada and North Carolina measures are constitutional amendments, while the Maine initiative is a statutory requirement.

Currently, 35 states require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day, but many states provide for exceptions to these rules. Of these states, 23 required voters to present identification containing a photograph, with certain exceptions, and 12 states did not explicitly require photo identification. The remaining 15 states did not require voters to present identification in order to vote at the polls on Election Day.

To place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in Wisconsin, the state legislature must pass it in two consecutive legislative sessions by a simple majority.