Five states currently maximize ballot access by mailing ballots to every voter. Current COVID-19 public health crisis underlines need for change.

MADISON, WI- Last week, Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) co-sponsored legislation to create a Vote by Mail system for the remainder of Wisconsin’s 2020 elections. Mail voting has become increasingly popular throughout the country, and five states currently maximize ballot access by mailing ballots to every voter. Wisconsin’s “Pandemic Primary” on April 7th, unnecessarily put public health and people’s lives at risk while leaving tens of thousands of voters disenfranchised.

Vote by Mail legislation would allow Wisconsinites to exercise their right to vote while adhering to the Safer at Home order. Voting by Mail elections are quickly becoming a national conversation during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Several voting rights groups are pushing for a major expansion of mail balloting, and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, is partnering with Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, on a bill to require every state to provide the option of a mail ballot in the November election.

Representative Shelia Stubbs released the following statement after co-sponsoring this important Vote by Mail legislation:

"On April 7th, I saw our young people, our elders, our fathers - our mothers standing in long lines block after block waiting to cast their vote. They risked their lives to stand in the rain and in the hail to exercise their constitutional right to vote. As it stands right now, the voting system we have is not designed to provide access to free and fair elections during a global pandemic. The system has not changed, and that is unacceptable."

Rep. Stubbs noted, "Nearly half (44 %) of all the people who have died of COVID-19 in Wisconsin are Black. This is a shocking reality for a state that has a population of only 6% Black people. We are such a small community, and no part it has been spared. Each and every one of us has been affected by this pandemic."

Rep. Stubbs further explained, "The COVID-19 cases and related deaths showcase Wisconsin's severe disparities in access to good health care, nutritious and affordable food, secure housing and jobs that pay a living wage. We do not know how many new cases will be reported as a result of Tuesday's exercise in voter suppression – especially in underserved communities across the state of Wisconsin."

Rep. Stubbs expressed, "This is beyond inequity. Our people have already endured generations of having to choose between our lives and voting. That is why this legislation is so critically important - especially for communities of color. It is our responsibility to make sure that this never happens again."

Conservation Voters propose changes to voting system.

MADISON – This week’s election, which was held during a global pandemic and under a stay-at-home order from the Governor, is a dire indication that democracy in Wisconsin is broken – and that it must be fixed.

“When thousands of people across the state are forced to vote in person at great risk to their own personal safety and the safety of all of us, it’s crystal clear this is an emergency situation. And it has risen to the level of life or death,” said Executive Director Kerry Schumann. “This latest move by Republican leadership in the legislature – particularly Speaker Robin Vos and Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald – is the most extreme extension of their concerted and long running campaign to deny people a voice in their own government.”

Wisconsin Conservation Voters has put together a lifeline for Wisconsin’s democracy. It’s a list of changes that must be made to our electoral process as soon as possible. Wisconsinites deserve to have fair, safe, and open elections.

To that end, Wisconsin Conservation Voters proposes Wisconsin adopt the following measures:

• Mail a ballot to all registered voters automatically before each election, ideally 30 days before the election date. Voters should not be required to have a witness or provide proof of an ID to request or return their ballot.
• Allow voters to return ballots multiple ways: through the mail, the use of secure drop boxes, and by dropping off at polling locations on the day of the election.
• Every municipality should have a minimum number of polling locations within their community based on the size of the population, located in areas that can serve all populations in the municipality and allow voters to register and vote quickly and efficiently if they choose to vote in person on election day.
• Every municipality should offer in-person access to early voting and voter registration, as well as ballot drop boxes for several weeks before Election Day.
• Voter registration should be as easy as possible through automatic voter registration in schools or at the DMV. Voters should also be able to register in person on Election Day and during early voting periods.
• All voters should remain on the voter rolls unless there is an action by the voter that indicates they have moved, or through government records (such as death records) that would indicate they are no longer eligible to vote. Wisconsin should not use passive efforts to remove voters such as through returned postcards or past voting history, which are notoriously unreliable and unfair.
• The government should fund public education efforts to ensure that all citizens are aware of how our voting process works and how they can participate.
• Citizens for whom English is a second language should have access to language assistance for voting. This should include access to ballots and elections materials in their native language.

“From gerrymandering districts to consolidate their power, to stripping the governor’s office of crucial powers, to voter ID laws and complicated proof of residence requirements, these unceasing, unrelenting attempts to deny Wisconsinites their most fundamental right has reached its pinnacle,” Schumann said.  “The dangerous debacle we saw this week cannot happen again.”

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Engaging voters to protect Wisconsin's environment.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/vote-47-milwaukee-mb4-s5.jpgWe cannot make people choose between voting and public health. Bill would move all elections in calendar year 2020 to voting by mail.

MADISON, WI - As part of continued programmatic changes made in the face of the public health threat posed by COVID-19, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is announcing today significant changes to its National Delegate Selection Plan. DPW’s Administrative Committee passed the changes on March 18, which were then approved by the Democratic National Committee. 

A summary of the changes include:

• All County and Congressional District Caucuses will be moved from in-person events to virtual events.

• Virtual county caucuses will be spread out between three dates: April 26th (the original date), May 3rd, and May 10th. CD caucuses will remain on May 17th.

• Anyone who wishes to participate in a county caucus (either as a voter, a delegate candidate, or an observer) is now required to pre-register for the virtual caucus ahead of time, by 5:00pm on April 17th.

• Caucuses will use electronic ballots rather than paper ballots.

Ads are part of Priorities’ ongoing $7.6 million TV and digital ad buy that reaches voters in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/bernie-sanders-drops-2020-s5.pngWith no viable path to the nomination, Sanders says he will remain on the ballot in upcoming primary contests to assert influence over the party platform and functions.

MILWAUKEE - Many things have changed in the last few days when it comes to voting in Milwaukee.

• The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled that in-person voting will go on as scheduled today, April 7th. Polls will be open from 7 AM-8 PM.
• All regular polling locations have been consolidated into 5 locations, to find your new polling site, go to: myvote.wi.gov or call 414-286-3491
• All Absentee ballots must be dropped off today by 8pm or mailed. It must be postmarked on April 7th to count.
• If you have NOT received your absentee ballot the you requested email the election commission at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call them at 414-286-3491

I hope that if you do go to vote today, you take care to maintain proper social distancing, wear a mask if you're able, and bring your own black pen.

If you need a ride, call us: 414-943-0756

Absentee Ballot Drop-off

(If you received a ballot in the mail - ONLY)

8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

City of Milwaukee voters who have completed their absentee ballot with certificate envelope can drop it off at any of the locations below. Election Commission staff are available to witness voter signatures.

Learn more at city.milwaukee.gov/election or call 414-286-3491

To keep up with the most recent information on COVID-19: govstatus.egov.com/wi-covid-19

The April 7th election should be postponed, say Shilling and Hintz. We are living in an unprecedented time. Republican inaction will disenfranchise thousands.

MADISON – Senate Democratic Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) and Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) released the following statement regarding the importance of election safety and public health.

“The April 7th election should be postponed by any means necessary. Having tens of thousands of people gathered at polling places around the state on Tuesday will result in the further spreading of the COVID-19 virus. This will increase the burden on our health care system and ultimately cost more lives. Postponing this election and moving toward mail-only ballots is the only way to ensure Wisconsinites remain safe. We need to act now. Forcing people to choose between their health and their right to vote is not an acceptable path forward. History will not judge those who allowed this to happen kindly.

“With state and federal guidelines, as well as countless public health officials, encouraging people to stay in their homes and avoid large gatherings to limit transmissions of the virus, postponing this election is the moral decision our state must make. With experts now stating that its possible COVID-19 can spread by droplets produced by talking or even breathing, the importance of stopping mass gatherings really is a matter of life and death.

“Every state with an April or May election has postponed it, and Wisconsin should follow suit before we walk into this public health disaster. We are living in an unprecedented time. Republican inaction will disenfranchise thousands of Wisconsin voters and worse, jeopardize public health.”

Political group takes a look at what folks across Wisconsin are saying about Trump’s failed leadership in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

MADISON - The number of Wisconsinites who’ve died from COVID-19 is nearing 40, the number of unemployment claims in Wisconsin is skyrocketing, and nonfarm jobs contracted by 701,000 nationally this month — the largest decline since 2009.

And many who recently lost their jobs will soon be without health insurance. As the pandemic rages on, Trump is turning his back on Wisconsinites by refusing to allow people to find insurance on the ACA marketplace.

It didn’t have to be this way.

Trump’s failure to take action early on has undoubtedly put our lives at risk. Just on Sunday, Trump claimed that the U.S. is doing more testing for coronavirus than any other country in the world. He has also claimed that “anybody that wants a test can get a test.” But proportionate to our population, that is simply not true. Meanwhile, many Wisconsin residents, including health care workers working on the frontlines, say they “have not been able to get tested despite having concerning symptoms — fever, coughing and sometimes shortness of breath.”

Wisconsinites are taking notice of Trump’s failed leadership, and are putting more of their trust in Governor Evers rather than the president, following a trend amongst battleground states. Voters’ approval of Evers’s handling of coronavirus is more than 20 points higher than Trump’s.

Take a look at what folks across Wisconsin are saying about Trump’s failed leadership in the face of the coronavirus pandemic:

• Wisconsin State Journal (March 25, 2020): Trump's inaction is leading to deaths -- Amanda Kemnitz
  
  “By the time flights were halted, the virus was already in our country. And due to the aggressive nature of its transmission, it had already spread. In the meantime, as recently as a Feb. 28 rally, President Donald Trump was calling criticism of his handling of the coronavirus a "hoax." This, as well as the lack of preparedness of the U.S. government, has clearly caused more deaths with many more to come.”

• Wisconsin State Journal (March 23, 2020): Trump's response has been a disaster -- David F. Olson
  
  “Surely his [President Trump’s] policies and decisions have had a negative influence during the COVID-19 pandemic. As soon as he took control of this country, President Trump abolished a program designed by the Obama administration to mitigate an epidemic. A few weeks ago, he blamed the Centers for Disease Control for the situation we are in today.”

• La Crosse Tribune (March 18, 2020): Steven Manson: Trump has botched virus response
  
  “Trump's leadership style of intimidation and misinformation may work with humans, but not against germs. Lesson learned - don't believe what he says.”

• Wisconsin State Journal (March 31, 2020): Trump's follies mislead our nation -- Jerome Jones
  
  “President Donald Trump's daily presentations on COVID-19 seem knowingly at odds with the truth of what's happening all around the country. Like Saigon's follies, President Trump's follies are dangerous and have and will cause Americans needless suffering and pain.”

• The County Line (March 11, 2020): Coronavirus is not Democrats’ ‘new hoax’ -- Lee D. Van Landuyt
  
  “This is just the beginning of this serious pandemic. Our president and all other world leaders have been aware of this for three months. Other leaders have taken action, but our administration has done precious little to plan and mobilize for this new pandemic, knowing the risks it posed to American citizens, especially our most vulnerable.”

• WisPolitics (March 30, 2020): Bill Kaplan: Trump downplays coronavirus in Midwest
  
  “Trump said: “Those (California and New York) are really two hotbeds. …(Y)ou go out to the Midwest … and they’re watching it on television but they don’t have the same problems.” Facts: there are many thousands of coronavirus cases and a rising death toll in the Midwest. Wisconsin cases doubled in a week to over 1,000.”

If you’re looking to talk to folks about their thoughts on Trump’s handling of COVID-19, please reach out so I can connect you. In the meantime, thank you again for your hard work, and stay healthy.

https://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/voterid_hand-s5.jpgCourt order extends time to request an absentee ballot through Friday, April 3 and relaxes witness certification requirement. Absentee ballots now must returned by April 13 at 4:00 PM.