MADISON, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) – Two state lawmakers reach across the aisle in an attempt to make sure Wisconsin will be better prepared to hold an election during a public emergency.

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Six weeks ago, there were long lines at the polls in Milwaukee and Green Bay while voters in other places cast a ballot from their vehicles. State Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) and State Rep. Staush Gruszynski (D-Green Bay) hope their proposal will help fix the challenges faced during the April 7 election.

“Obviously, there's the perception that Democrats and Republicans never talk, and that's not really the case,” Rep. Kitchens said.

The bill's proposals would go into effect if the governor declares a state of emergency and if the Wisconsin Elections Commission also approves of carrying out the election with the changes.

“We really tried to come from it with an angle that it would be bipartisan and really try to find common ground moving forward,” Rep. Gruszynski said.

The bipartisan legislation proposes the following changes to an election during an emergency:
 

  • Encourage Wisconsinites to use mail-in voting as much as possible
  • Require the Elections Commission to send an absentee ballot application to every registered voter who does not have an application on file
  • Each municipality would have to keep one polling place open for every 12,000 citizens of legal voting age who live in that municipality
  • Absentee ballots would need to be delivered to a polling place or municipal clerk no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day to be counted
  • If the Elections Commission extends the deadline for requesting an absentee ballot, the ballot must be returned to a municipal clerk no later than 4 p.m. on the Friday following the election
  • Allows the Elections Commission to waive the witness signature requirement for absentee ballots in an emergency
     

The Elections Commission will also be tasked with coming up with software that can be integrated with the U.S. Postal Service to track absentee ballots from when they are issued to when they are returned.

“One side wanted to mail ballots to everybody and another side didn't think that was a good idea,” Rep. Gruszynski said. “I think, you know, sending out the application is a really good place to find common ground.”

Rep. Gruszynski talks about compromises made while drafting the legislation.


“The clerks were overwhelmed with the ballots,” Rep Kitchens said. “We had, you know, a couple of municipalities that didn't have enough polling places in place. As far as the witness signatures, sure they're people on our side, on my side, that don't like that portion but it was sort of part of the compromise.”

Both lawmakers feel optimistic about the chances of their legislation passing.

“I really believe that this is something that we can all come together to make sure that we're helping to protect the security and transparency of absentee voting,” Rep. Gruszynski said.

However, the Assembly has already adjourned its regular session, so it seems pretty unlikely lawmakers will come back to vote on just one proposal.

“It'll more likely depend on whether we have other things that we have to come back to address, and then hopefully we can handle this too,” Rep. Kitchens said. “I agree with Staush, I think if it makes it to the floor it would pass very easily. It's just getting it to the floor.”

Rep. Kitchens explains the chances of the bill getting a vote before November.


A federal lawsuit filed Monday by advocates for people with disabilities and minority voters in Wisconsin wants some of the same proposals put in place ahead of the November election. The lawsuit was filed against the Wisconsin Elections Commission by Disability Rights Wisconsin and Milwaukee-based advocacy group Black Leaders Organizing for Communities.

“I think really the three goals that we had in writing the legislation was, first, to protect voter safety, make sure that everybody that wants to vote can vote, and that we protect the election integrity so when the results come in people will know that was really what the people wanted,” Rep. Kitchens said. “I think if we had a situation like we had in April in November where Wisconsin is likely to be one of the determining states for the presidency, I can't even imagine the mess that would, you know, come out of that.”

Lawmakers drafted the bill in consultation with the Wisconsin Elections Commission and State Sen. Kathy Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls) also authored the bill.

“We're seeing this movement around the country,” Rep. Gruszynski said. “Michigan just announced that they're going to be sending absentee ballot applications out to their registered voters. Other states are trying to put this into the process as well. We just had a UW-Oshkosh study that talked about the pandemic and the April election and made a recommendation to the State Legislature to increase the awareness around absentee ballots, and also increase polling locations if they can. Our bill does both, so I think it really lays out a nice framework for us to move forward and I don't think the issue is going away before August or November.”