MADISON, Wis. — When Wisconsinites head to the polls on April 1, they will again see another constitutional amendment on the ballot.

While that has been the case with the last several recent elections, this time the question will focus on the state’s voter identification (ID) law.

Wisconsin has required voters to show an acceptable photo ID when registering to vote, and cast their ballot, since 2011. It is widely regarded as one of the strictest laws of its kind in the nation.

If this latest constitutional amendment is approved by voters, you won’t notice anything change. It would merely make it more difficult for a future legislature or court to undo the already existing law.

Here’s how the question will appear on your ballot:

Shall section 1m of article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?

A ‘yes’ vote would enshrine the state’s already existing voter ID law into the Wisconsin Constitution. Doing so would make it more difficult for a future legislature or court to change or repeal the law. The only way to do that would be through another constitutional amendment.

Keep in mind, that changes to the state’s constitution don’t happen overnight.

The proposal must pass the legislature in two consecutive sessions before going to voters statewide for their approval.

A ‘no’ vote means there would not be any added protections to stop lawmakers from changing or repealing the state’s voter ID law in the future. However, the existing law would remain in place for the time being.

The move to use constitutional amendments has become more common for Republicans, who control both chambers of the legislature, to make policy changes without needing approval from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Republicans believe the constitutional amendment for voter ID is a necessary protection to prevent a court from striking down the decades-old law.

“One of the things that we heard from the left is that having a bunch of things on the ballot confuses the voter, so that you have less of an opportunity to focus on a single topic, so that’s why we chose, this time around, to put just one on the ballot,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told reporters during a recent press conference. “[Democrats] just use the same sign for everything; ‘Stop the MAGA power grab.’ They literally say that on pretty much every amendment, so we want to make sure voters clearly understand what it is, and I think they will this time around.”

Democrats, on the other hand, are concerned the current voter ID law has disenfranchised some voters, including students and the elderly, and fear the constitutional amendment, if approved, will make it harder to update the law.

“Wisconsin has one of the strictest voter ID laws in the nation, so if we need to modernize that, if we need to make sure it keeps up with the times later on, if this is stuck in the constitution it’s going to be harder to do that,” State Rep. Alex Joers, D-Waunakee, explained. “So, I would encourage folks to make sure they know that voter ID can also be a barrier.”

If the constitutional amendment is approved, lawmakers would still be able to pass some laws related to voter ID, including changes to acceptable forms of ID, the time and place when a voter would need to present an ID to have their provisional ballot count, as well as exceptions to the law.

While Wisconsin residents must show an ID to cast their ballot, there is no separate “voter ID” and a federally compliant REAL ID is not required to vote.

If you are wondering if you have the proper ID to vote, you can find out here.

Those who need a Wisconsin ID can learn more about the DMV’s process here.