- The state of Wisconsin's decision to combine and relocate
two Division of Motor Vehicles locations in Madison has sparked
a federal civil rights complaint on the city's part.
In tonight's inside look, why the DMV move has prompted the
complaint, which states in part, "...the decision to combine and
move the west side DMV service centers to an area that is
relatively inaccessible by transit disparately impacts
racial minority residents who rely primarily on transit to
reach the DMV for services, including, for example,
obtaining a driver's license for the first time or obtaining a
voter ID." The current DMV main location is located on a busy
bus route as is a renewal location.
Both are to be combined at a farther out site,
less accessible by bus.
Here's what Madison Mayor Paul Soglin had to say.
- We are hopeful that the U.S.
Department of Transportation will recognize the failure of
our state's Department of Transportation and will step in
and order changes to be made so that whether it is getting
identification, whether it is getting a driver's license or a
license plate, we will see to it that all the people in our
community can utilize government services for which they pay.
- The League of Women Voters also spoke out on the DMV move
and the resulting complaint.
President of the Dane County League, Brook Soltvedt,
joins us next.
But first, the State Department of Transportation offered this
statement in declining our invitation to appear.
"The Madison West DMV Service Center is a new,
more spacious location with free parking close to the building
entrance.
Customers of the location will be served by bus routes,
Madison Metro's route 15 and route 73.
Customers have multiple bus options to access either Madison
West or East DMV offices." Now to Brook Soltvedt.
Thanks very much for being here.
- Thank you for inviting me.
- Describe why people taking the bus will have problems
accessing that new location?
Because, as we just heard from the DOT,
they say there are two routes that serve it.
- Not that it is utterly inaccessible,
but from most locations, the time that it would take you to
get to this new location would be significantly increased and
very often includes a lengthy distance that would have to be
walked.
The busiest bus route or most direct bus route only operates
during the peak hours, so that if you could get there early in
the morning, you might not transact your business in time
to take that short route back.
Same at the end of the day.
- Why was a complaint filed with the federal office of civil
rights?
Does it have to do with federal funding coming into Wisconsin?
- It does.
I'm not a civil rights attorney, but my understanding is that it
is the federal Department of Transportation that can control
what the state does.
- Now, the complaint states that it's unclear whether the
Wisconsin DOT intentionally chose a less transit-friendly
location.
What's your take?
- I have no idea.
I don't want to impugn anybody's motives on this.
But our concern is that very often the state in making
decisions doesn't consider the impact that it will have on our
less well-situated citizens.
- Did this relocation surprise you and others?
- I learned about it in August when I read about it in the
State Journal and that's when our league started advocating on
behalf of the people that we knew would be impacted.
- And have you heard from customers who use these DMV locations?
- No, because I don't think it's been really all that
well-advertised.
Until very recently there was nothing on their website.
Unless you happened to see that article in the paper this
summer, most people probably had no idea it was coming.
- And so when you learned of it in August and began advocating
and kind of got more involved, what was your initial reaction
to that relocation?
- The very first thing I thought of was what about all
the people we know who need to get to the DMV to get an ID for
voting.
One of the things about the voter ID law that was passed
recently is it's one of the most stringent in the country.
There are very few IDs that a citizen can use to vote.
Almost all of them require going to the DMV.
It equates your right to vote with the ability to get to a
DMV.
So when you then make getting to the DMV more inaccessible to the
very people who have-- are least likely to have a driver
license or voter ID or Wisconsin ID card, it's a big problem.
- Has there been any preliminary reaction to your
knowledge from the feds concerning this complaint?
- It was just filed two days ago,
so as far as I know there's been no response.
- Do you know whether or not there's any kind of precedent
for this kind of complaint calling for states
or the feds to kind of not make these relocations?
- Yes.
In Alabama in fact, I believe it was several years ago,
maybe 2015, Alabama set about-- after passing a very stringent
voter ID law, went about systematically closing all the
DMV offices in the predominantly black counties.
But they left them in the predominantly white counties.
And a civil rights complaint was filed and they were forced to
reopen DMV facilities.
- Is there any sense that there will be kind of a different
reaction under a different federal administration?
- I can't say that.
I don't know.
- And so the best outcome in your mind would be?
- I would like to see the DMV open another service office
similar to what we currently have on Odana Road that would be
open more accessible hours as that one is.
That's another issue that wasn't addressed in this complaint,
is the fact that that Odana Road office has later hours in the
evening and is open most of the day on Saturday.
Something that would be accessible to voters,
low-income, racial minority, transit-dependent voters,
to be able to get services, including voter ID.
- All right. We need to leave it there.
Brook Soltvedt, thanks very much.
- Thank you very much for your interest.