Posted on 08/10/2021 1:10:57 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday vetoed a number of bills authored by Republicans that would place new restrictions on Wisconsin voters following former President Donald Trump's election loss.
The bills make significant changes to Wisconsin elections, such as making most people who are indefinitely confined — not able to get to the polls by themselves — provide a photo ID to vote. The legislation would also require all people who vote absentee to present a photo ID every time they vote, not just the first time.
GOP lawmakers have said their election bills would help build trust in elections, but were panned by Democrats and many other organizations, including disability rights advocates. Some of the measures failed to get full Republican support.
Through the legislation, GOP lawmakers have sought to limit or otherwise impose restrictions on a number of election practices used in the November 2020 election that they believe were either unfair or undermined trust in elections.
President Joe Biden won Wisconsin by about 20,000 votes — a similar margin to Trump's 2016 win. There is no evidence of widespread fraud and courts have rejected several lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies attempting to overturn the outcome.
Despite that fact, Wisconsin Republicans have spearheaded a number of investigations, costing potentially thousands of dollars, into last November's presidential election. On Friday, the Assembly's elections committee chairperson sent Milwaukee and Brown counties subpoenas for election materials, but it's unclear whether they are legally valid.
Evers on Tuesday told reporters that he'd advise Milwaukee and Brown counties don't comply with the subpoenas.
"My advice to them would be to get legal counsel and this will likely end up in court," Evers said.
To emphasize the importance of vetoing the legislation, Evers signed the vetoes at a news conference, as opposed to in private, as is typical for most vetoes.
The bills Evers vetoed Tuesday follow efforts from Republicans across the country to limit mail, in-person and absentee voting in dozens of states.
Wisconsin Republicans have said the bills are necessary to help build trust in elections, but are panned by Democrats and other organizations, such as disability rights advocates, for making it more difficult to vote.
"When I ran for this office, I pledged to work to protect the right of every eligible person to vote. That’s what I’m going to do here today," Evers said during a news conference Tuesday. "They’re trying to make it harder for every eligible person to cast their ballot."
The six GOP-authored bills Evers vetoed on Tuesday would have imposed a litany of restrictions on voters and elections administration. Among those changes, the bills would have restricted who can return an absentee ballot on behalf of a voter; limited the use of indefinitely confined status when applying for absentee ballots; and prohibiting clerks from correcting minor errors on absentee ballot application materials.
Republican leaders slammed Evers for vetoing the bills.
"The governor is making another momentous mistake with his veto pen," Vos said in a statement. "While he claims these bills are 'anti-democracy,' his actions speak louder than words. He is satisfied with the status quo and refusing to improve future elections. These bills closed loopholes, standardized procedures, established uniformity, guaranteed only the voter can correct their own ballot and protected votes of seniors in long-term care."
One of the bills, SB 203, would have taken aim at absentee ballot collection events used during the 2020 election, such as Madison's Democracy in the Park, where more than 10,000 absentee ballots were collected by city election officials.
The bill would have restricted such events to occurring as close as possible to the local clerk's office, required the clerk or local election officials to staff the event and additionally prohibited absentee ballot collection events from occurring before the in-person absentee voting window, which is generally two weeks before Election Day.
Madison's absentee ballot collection event happened before that window.
The bill would have also restricted which people can return an absentee voter's ballot. Under the bill, only the voter, voter's legal guardian, immediate family member or a designated Wisconsin registered voter would be allowed to return an absentee ballot. The bill would make it a felony for anybody else to return an absentee ballot on a behalf of a voter.
Another bill, SB 204, would have placed a number of new restrictions on voting absentee. Current law requires most absentee voters to provide a photo ID the first time they apply to vote absentee, but the bill Evers vetoed would have required it for each election and associated primary
It would also eliminate the photo ID exemption provided to indefinitely confined voters, and indefinitely confined voters would be limited to automatically receiving absentee ballots for the calendar year, not indefinitely.
The bill would also eliminate the option voters currently have to have ballots automatically sent for the calendar year, requiring it for each election and associated primary.
Last year, the Wisconsin Elections Commission sent nearly 3 million eligible Wisconsin voters an absentee ballot application request, but the bill would have prohibited the WEC from doing that again.
Following last year's presidential recount in Dane and Milwaukee counties that left some Republicans complaining about not being able to observe closely enough, one of the bills Evers nixed would mandate that recount observation areas be placed within 3 feet from tables where ballots and other election-related material are being examined.
Despite that fact, Wisconsin Republicans have spearheaded a number of investigations, costing potentially thousands of dollars, into last November's presidential election. On Friday, the Assembly's elections committee chairperson sent Milwaukee and Brown counties subpoenas for election materials, but it's unclear whether they are legally valid.
Evers on Tuesday told reporters that he'd advise Milwaukee and Brown counties don't comply with the subpoenas.
"My advice to them would be to get legal counsel and this will likely end up in court," Evers said.
What does indefinitely confined have to do with not showing ID? Do people who are somehow in this state during an election given a free pass to commit fraud?
FWIW about 8% of our Wisconsin population of about 5 million draws a disability per the last census.
Dems were stuffing ballots like crazy-mad at neighborhood ‘Voting Parties’ and this was the FIRST election we had drop boxes on streets to stuff.
They’re mad because you must show ID EVERY time you vote? I always do. Big whoop.
Evers is as qualified to be a Governor of ANY state as I am qualified to be a cruise ship captain.
I am a life long accounting person.
That is how it was here up until around 2000 when the state began switching to “vote by mail”. Oddly up until that time the state had fairly bipartisan representation in all branches of the government. Since that time the Democrats have dominated and when we have a close race the votes are recounted over and over again until strangely enough the Democrat always wins. What a coincidence.
There are lies and there are damn lies, and that's a damn lie. No one is trying to limit, i.e., prevent anyone from voting. The Republicans are trying to limit voting to registers voters and to limit registered voters to only one vote per election.
And you were likely elected governor about as much as he was…
Grifters have to grift. Such investigations and legislation too often turn into nothing but attorney enrichment activities. Noble cause run amok.
So I guess the truth is Evers (who won by fraud in 2018) vetoed election integrity measures that would help us have an honest vote count here in WI in future elections. I hate that commie jerk.
I’m pretty sure Rebecca Kleefisch is going to run against him. If so, she’ll grind him to dust under her high heels, LOL!
Have you seen the nimrod Dems that are going to take on Ron Johnson for the Senate? What a frigging Clown Car of candidates they have!
2022 is gonna be some fun in Wisconsin. :)
I was hoping Sheriff David Clarke would run for Governor. Have not heard of it but wish he would run.
He’s formed a new organization that is making great progress, already.
https://riseupwisconsin.com/about-us/
I just signed up for the e-mails.
good for him
he’s a fighter
🇺🇸
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