Like many people I’ve been following the battle over the last few days on voting in Wisconsin. The short summary is, after the Democratic Governor Tony Evers tried to delay the April 7 primary to June to allow time for coronavirus risks to decrease, state Republicans blocked his efforts in order to force the vote in the middle of a pandemic. The Republican Supreme Court under John Roberts refused to allow an extension for absentee voting despite problems getting ballots out to voters who had requested them, on a 5-4 party line vote. (Remember when Supreme Court decisions and party line votes were the exception, not the rule?)
Not to be overlooked in all this is the critical role of manning polling stations. Typically, the people who do the job are older — and more at risk from Coronavirus. Wisconsin had a real problem getting enough people to open voting locations. So I was glad to get this text message Monday from my cousin who lives in Wisconsin:
I am running a polling place tomorrow, keeping 18 staff and the voters safe and following the intricate voting procedures. My usual crew are veterans but most bowed out, so I have 11 novices to train of the 18. The city has provided all possible safety supplies and procedures. Should be a good challenge!
By all accounts, it was a challenge. Puddytat lays out just how crazy this has been. The NY Times has a report on the differing voter experiences, splitting along party lines and urban-rural divides.
In Milwaukee — where the number of polling stations was reduced from 180 to only five — voters tried to exercise proper social distancing as they waited, in some cases, for more than two hours. But in other areas of the state, including Madison, suburbs like Brookfield, and more rural areas like Beloit, the voting process was altered but not totally disrupted, with options that included curbside ballot access and poll locations that were more fully staffed.
Here’s a follow-up report from my cousin.
Closed up my polling place at midnight after processing massive amounts of absentee ballots and a surprising number of in-person voters. Exhausting and memorable.
Logged 7 miles between 5:45 am and midnight in a large meeting room. Good crew, younger than usual. Mostly maintained some distance, masked and gloved. My city was well-prepared with shields and sanitizers for us and the surfaces and pens, etc. My usual ward was consolidated with a neighboring one but citywide none of the chaos In Milwaukee.
The risks aren’t over for him and everyone else forced to turn out to vote by the Republicans.
Am holed up in an Airbnb for two weeks to protect [my family]. Nice location a few miles from home and I can commute to my garden. Have lots to do and can work remotely for state's covid team.
Stay well!
The GOP motivation is simple: when people turn out and vote in large numbers, they lose. The GOP gave Wisconsin voters a choice: stay safe by staying home, or risk their lives to vote — and good luck voting by absentee ballot. (Inasmuch as Republican voters are more likely to believe the pandemic is an overblown threat, they are counting on their base to show up — even if it kills them.)
Wisconsin used to have a record as a very progressive state; the Koch brothers with Scott Walker and the GOP have used it as a test lab to undermine democracy. (See Charlie Pierce) Pierce is not optimistic that we will get the voting measures we need to vote safely come November.
So what can we do? If you’ve ever considered volunteering to staff a polling place, now is the time to start checking out your local requirements. If you are thinking of filing an absentee ballot this year, start looking into that too — don’t wait until the last minute. Contact your state and congressional representatives to let them know you support whatever it takes to have a safe and secure election this November — and we are behind time to make that happen without a major effort.
The most basic step of all: make sure you are registered to vote and can find your polling place. Republicans are stepping up efforts to purge voter rolls and do other things to suppress voting. (One reason they fought so hard in Wisconsin is to protect their 6-3 lock on the state court that will be deciding whether or not to allow a massive purge of state voting rolls.)
The Republican Party is waging a war on democracy. There’s a saying “Vote as though your life depends on it.” Thanks to Republicans, that’s not a joke anymore.
Remember in November.