MADISON, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) - Wisconsin is one of 20 states that doesn’t have a statewide mask requirement. Thousands of people have now signed a petition to change that. 

Democratic State Senator Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) started the petition Monday. By Tuesday, it had blown up. 

“For lack of a better term, it went viral,” Larson says. 

“We have over 8,000 people who have signed onto this, from over 800 municipalities across the state,” Larson says. “It shows that there’s a broad spectrum of support. This is not a partisan issue.” 

The petition pushes for a statewide mask order from the Evers administration and lays out why. Larson says if the rules are different everywhere, some areas and businesses could suffer because they choose to require masks in areas that don’t have local orders. 

Some county officials are concerned that even though they have a mask ordinance, their neighbors don’t. 

“Every time I talk to another elected official at whatever level, they recognize the importance of this,” Larson says. “They recognize the science behind it. It’s more them trying to figure out, 'Okay, are we going to be an outlier?”'

A Morning Consult/Politico poll released about a week ago shows that three in four Americans support a statewide mask mandate, and monetary consequences when it’s disobeyed. 

Governor Tony Evers has said he thinks a mask mandate from him would end up challenged, and ultimately struck down, just like the Safer At Home order was in May. 

Larson says he still wants to see an order enacted. 

“I think the governor wants to do the right thing. I think frankly most of the legislators want to do the right thing,” he says. “We can’t control if there are some politicians who are gonna try and make political hay out of this.” 

He believes if the rules are the same everywhere we go in the state, we have a higher chance of slowing the spread. 

“I think it makes sense to have the entire state move forward with this because the science backs this up,” Larson says. “So that there’s not a question of business leaders have to make, municipal leaders have to make, and frankly that schools have to make.” 

Larson is sharing the information he gathers from the petition with the governor and all lawmakers. He wants to show that many Wisconsinites support a statewide mandate. 

“People recognize the importance of this, people are checking the science for themselves, and seeing that look, this is the way to protect you, to protect your neighbors,” Larson says. “Probably the least you can do to help prevent the spread of this deadly disease.”