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Polling place procedures meant to assure safe social distancing

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Meagan Wolfe

At polling places around the state Tuesday, the focus will be on safe social distancing, in order to keep voters and poll workers as safe as possible from coronavirus. Meagan Wolfe is Administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

“You’ll see social distancing built into every step of the process, from waiting outside to enter, to standing in line, and then again at the photo ID and poll book table and the registration table..” Wolfe said “So please do listen to the direction of your poll workers, as they’ll advise you exactly how social distancing will apply to their facility.”

Voters will be asked to sanitize their hands before and after beginning the process, and to maintain a six foot distance between themselves and poll workers.

“Each polling place needs to determine how many people can safely accomplish social distancing while occupying that facility,” said Wolfe. “And so if they determine that 20 people can be in the facility at once, in terms of poll workers, voters and observers, then they’re going to need to enforce those limits to ensure that social distancing can occur.”

Procedures will include safely checking photo IDs. “What this allows is for the voter when instructed to step up to the poll book table, set down their photo ID, while the poll worker steps away while the person’s at the table. Then the voter’s going to be asked to step six feet away from the table, while the poll worker comes up and looks at the ID. They will not be handling it, but they will be looking at the ID as it sets on the table.”

A similar process will be used for signing the poll book, with voters allowed to keep the pen they use.

State Supreme Court rules Evers may not postpone election

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Wisconsin’s spring election will proceed as scheduled on Tuesday, despite public health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Hours after Governor Tony Evers issued an executive order on Monday, rescheduling the election to June 9, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overruled  him on a 4-2 vote.

Liberal Justices Ann Walsh Bradley and Rebecca Dallet voted no. Conservative Justice Daniel Kelly, who is on the ballot tomorrow, did not participate. Kelly said on his Twitter account that the election should go forward.

Conservative Justices Patience Roggensack, Annette Ziegler, Rebecca Bradley and Brian Hagedorn ruled against Evers

 

Evers issues executive order to delay election-GOP will appeal to state Supreme Court

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This report has been updatedy

Democratic Governor Tony Evers on Monday moved to halt Wisconsin’s spring election scheduled for Tuesday, amid public health concerns from the coronavirus pandemic.

Evers said he’s taking a stand for the people of the state. “They’re sitting there saying ‘I’m scared, I’m scared of going to the polls. I’m afraid for my future.’ At the end of the day, somebody’s got to stand up for those folks.”

Evers issued an executive order pushing the election to June 9th. Republican legislative leaders said they’d appeal to the state Supreme Court.

“This is it. There’s not a plan B, there’s not a plan C. We’re moving ahead with this. We believe the Supreme Court will support us in this.”

His order also calls lawmakers back into session this week to decide whether the election should be held at a different date.


In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Evers said voters “don’t care about the fighting between Democrats and Republicans – they’re scared. I’m standing up for those people who are afraid and that’s why I’m doing this.”

Republican legislative leaders who want to keep polls open adjourned both chambers on Monday without acting on a special session to delay the election as called by Evers on Friday.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) released the following statement.


“We are immediately challenging this executive order in the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

“The clerks of this state should stand ready to proceed with the election. The governor’s executive order is clearly an unconstitutional overreach.

“This is another last-minute flip-flop from the governor on the April 7th election. The governor himself has repeatedly acknowledged he can’t move the election. Just last week a federal judge said he did not have the power to cancel the election and Governor Evers doesn’t either. Governor Evers can’t unilaterally run the state.”

 

No action on special session to delay Wisconsin’s April 7 election

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No action was taken on Saturday, in a special session of the Wisconsin legislature called by Governor Tony Evers. The Democratic governor on Friday asked lawmakers to convene in Madison for the purpose of delaying the spring election scheduled for Tuesday, April 7.

With just a handful of members present in either chamber, the Senate and Assembly both gaveled-in and gaveled-out. Republican leaders, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, said in a joint statement issued on Friday that in-person balloting should proceed as scheduled on Tuesday.

Evers, who said he may consider other means to delay the election, through a court order or additional executive action, issued a statement on Saturday, “Republicans in the Legislature are playing politics with public safety and ignoring the urgency of this public health crisis. It’s wrong.”

Evers had cited concerns about spreading COVID-19 during in-person voting, and a critical shortage of poll workers, in seeking to postpone the election until May 19 and requiring that voting be by mail-in ballots only.

 

Feds grant Wisconsin Major Disaster Declaration for COVID-19

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The state of Wisconsin has been granted a Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government.

The disaster declaration, announced Saturday by Governor Tony Evers, allows lets all 72 counties and 11 federally recognized tribes access to Public Assistance programs from the federal government. The declaration comes from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who will reimburse the state for emergency protective measures.

It also authorizes direct Federal Assistance, so when the State and local governments cannot perform or to contract for eligible emergency work, the State may request that the work be accomplished by a federal agency.

The major disaster declaration covers assistance to public entities and will cover eligible projects submitted by counties, cities, townships, tribes, and certain private, not-for-profit organizations. Local governments in the declared counties are now eligible for federal assistance and should contact county emergency management directors for further information.

Under the program, FEMA provides 75 percent of eligible costs, while the remaining 25 percent is the responsibility of state and local agencies.

U.S. District Judge extends absentee voting by 6 days

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A federal judge has ordered that Wisconsin voters be given an extra six days beyond Tuesday’s election, to submit absentee ballots.

U.S. District Judge William Conley said earlier this week he would not postpone the election despite his misgivings about public health from COVID-19 concerns.

The deadline for voters to get absentee ballots to clerks had been 8 p.m. on Election Day. Conley’s order issued Thursday extends that to 4 p.m. the following Monday, April 13, and lifts the witness signature requirement for absentee ballots. He said voters may state in writing that they could not safely get that due to coronavirus fears.

Conley’s order also extends the deadline to request absentee ballots to 5 p.m. today, Friday April 3.

A lawyer for the Republican National Committee and the Wisconsin Republican Party, Patrick Strawbridge, filed a notice of appeal soon after Conley issued his opinion. The Republican legislature filed an appeal Thursday, too.

Milwaukee museum announces Dr. Fauchi bobblehead

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a key member of the White House COVID-19 task force, is the latest public figure to be honored with a bobblehead by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee.

“Dr. Anthony Fauci has become America’s voice of reason as one of the lead members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.”

Phil Skar from the Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum said five dollars from the $25 purchase price will go towards the American Hospital Association to support the 100 Million Masks Challenge.

The bobble is expected to be released in July of 2020, and the museum is currently taking pre-orders through their website.