WI Guv Launches Last Minute Bid To Delay Tuesday’s Primary Amid COVID-19 Legal Chaos | Talking Points Memo

While a legal fight continues over making absentee voting easier in the state, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced Friday he was launching a bid to delay Tuesday’s election, which includes the presidential primary and a high-stakes judicial race.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1301655
1 Like

An election so scary that even the judges don’t show up. It’s a Republican wet-dream.

4 Likes

Interesting. I am truly curious as to why he fought this for so long, but knowing the scum in the GOP lege and court system, I bet he had a good reason.

3 Likes

I am sure the GOP will be happy to have the Judicial race cancelled.

1 Like

Those GOPers… they just love a level playing field.

1 Like

“The GOP’s resistance to the changes may be related to a desire to keep turnout low, and thus favorable to Republicans, because a crucial state supreme court race is being decided Tuesday.”

This is the precise reason why the Republicans won’t hold the special session and want to cut off counting of absentee ballots on April 7th. And previously, they have turned down all of Evers attempts to make the voting easier. Note: State law says the Legislature can delay the election, Governor Evers cannot unilaterally do it or he breaks the law.

Republicans have never been interested in delaying the election. Same ol’, same ol’.

12 Likes

There’s also a State-side referendum on establishing a non-partisan group to deal with gerrymandering, so that’s an even bigger deal.

10 Likes

Republicans proved they don’t need a restrictive vote suppression scheme, just by winning the majority they needed to pass all that nonsense.

2 Likes

I assume his initial reluctance was because pushing back the date would increase the pressure to expand mail-in ballot options, because the virus is still going to be a factor for the rest of the primary season. It’s in Republican DNA to do everything possible to prevent expanding the franchise.

3 Likes

It’s right there in the article;

The GOP’s resistance to the changes may be related to a desire to keep turnout low, and thus favorable to Republicans, because a crucial state supreme court race is being decided Tuesday.

2 Likes

But the governor is a democrat.

2 Likes

Someone explain to me why facts and reality seem to come as a huge surprise to some of our nation’s governors. We all know that’s true of Trump, but his idiocy seems to be somehow catching.

1 Like

Huh, didn’t know that, thanks. He’s still acting like a Republican in this respect. Every Democrat should be pushing to expand the franchise with mail-in voting.

1 Like

I don’t know why - maybe he is somehow boxed in by the GOP-controlled legislature.

1 Like

Actually, he has been pushing to expand the mail in voting. In fact, he suggested this be 100% mail-in. All this has been going on while the Republicans are fighting to have over 200,000 voters stricken from the rolls - most of whom are from heavily Democratic Milwaukee - because they didn’t respond to a post card verification.

11 Likes

Yeah, I think it’s only because he hasn’t been able to get the 100% mail-in through that he’s falling back to ‘then let’s delay it so we don’t get people killed’.

I dunno, if I’m the Republicans, I sure as hell wouldn’t want ‘the Republican Party would rather kill you than let your voice be heard’ as the tag line for the 2020 elections… but that’s what it’s going to be, all over the country.

12 Likes

Thanks for that. In the several articles I have read, they did not adequately clarify that the Repub legislature, not the Govna, can only delay the election. Of course the Repubs will not delay, as they are challenging even absentee changes.

The mechanics of this election are something this nation has not seen since the mobs with guns days of KY in 1855. Evers has called out the Nat Guard to man at least some polls since Milwaukee (180 polling places) is expected to only have a dozen polls open. More than 100 of the state’s municipalities reported that they lacked enough regular poll workers to staff even one polling place.

Gerrymandering and active election tampering in WI. Repubs are correct that Dems in cities will not vote in person due to COVID, and rural Repubs will vote since many do not believe in COVID. I hope they can all get absentee. :mask:

Edit: Politico just had an article describing how the Trump campaign is fighting all ease of voting proposals by Dems (WI, PA GA, etc.) even in times of pandemic. What a surprise.

Late Update: (WaPo) A federal appeals court on Friday declined to block extended absentee voting deadlines challenged by Repubs for Wisconsin’s presidential primary. So at least WI can have ‘hurried’ absentee balloting.

6 Likes

Fuck any journalist who fails to report this as the GOP trying to ensure that Dems have to go get sick in order to vote and an attempt to kill us.

8 Likes

He probably expected the Dem presidential primary to drive turnout, making the supreme court race more winnable. The incumbent is a GOP hack.

4 Likes

Thanks, I didn’t read it closely enough. I like Evers very much (though I live in NY) and was afraid he was being falsely accused of chicanery. The long, slimy arm of Scott Walker continues to meddle in WI politics.

Comments are now Members-Only
Join the discussion Free options available