Here & Now

Madison Files Complaint Over DMV Move

Frederica Freyberg:

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.

Paul Soglin:

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.

Frederica Freyberg:

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.

Brook Soltvedt:

Thank you for inviting me.

Frederica Freyberg:

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.

Brook Soltvedt:

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.

Frederica Freyberg:

Why was a complaint filed with the federal office of civil rights? Does it have to do with federal funding coming into Wisconsin?

Brook Soltvedt:

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.

Frederica Freyberg:

Now, the complaint states that it’s unclear whether the Wisconsin DOT intentionally chose a less transit-friendly location. What’s your take?

Brook Soltvedt:

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.

Frederica Freyberg:

Did this relocation surprise you and others?

Brook Soltvedt:

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.

Frederica Freyberg:

And have you heard from customers who use these DMV locations?

Brook Soltvedt:

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.

Frederica Freyberg:

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?

Brook Soltvedt:

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.

Frederica Freyberg:

Has there been any preliminary reaction to your knowledge from the feds concerning this complaint?

Brook Soltvedt:

It was just filed two days ago, so as far as I know there’s been no response.

Frederica Freyberg:

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?

Brook Soltvedt:

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.

Frederica Freyberg:

Is there any sense that there will be kind of a different reaction under a different federal administration?

Brook Soltvedt:

I can’t say that. I don’t know.

Frederica Freyberg:

And so the best outcome in your mind would be?

Brook Soltvedt:

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.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. We need to leave it there. Brook Soltvedt, thanks very much.

Brook Soltvedt:

Thank you very much for your interest.