Milwaukee City Wire

A bill authored by State Rep. Karen Kirsch in the Wisconsin Assembly aims to expand the list of valid identification documents accepted for voting to include federally compliant licenses and IDs from all U.S. states and territories, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "forms of proof of identification for voting".

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill expands the list of documents considered valid proof of identification for voting. Currently, accepted forms include a U.S. passport, a military ID, a driver's license, and a state-issued ID card. The bill proposes adding a valid operator's license or identification card that meets federal REAL ID requirements and is issued by any U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, or any other U.S. territory or possession. This aims to provide more options for valid voting identification.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Tim Carpenter (Democrat-3rd District), Rep. Margaret Arney (Democrat-18th District), Rep. Mike Bare (Democrat-80th District), Rep. Ryan M. Clancy (Democrat-19th District), and Rep. Angelina M. Cruz (Democrat-62nd District). It was co-sponsored by Sen. Sarah Keyeski (Democrat-14th District), Sen. Chris Larson (Democrat-7th District), and Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (Democrat-16th District), along with 11 other co-sponsors.

Karen Kirsch has co-authored or authored another 41 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Kirsch graduated from Milwaukee Area Technical College in 1988 with an AAS and again from Mount Mary University.

Kirsch, a Democrat, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2025 to represent the state's 7th Assembly district, replacing previous state representative Daniel Riemer.

In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
AB379	07/31/2025	Forms of proof of identification for voting