Senate Approves Bills On Early Voting, Election Observers

Early voting hours would be restricted in Wisconsin and election observers could stand closer to voters under measures that cleared the Wisconsin State Senate on Wednesday morning.

The bill to restrict early voting would prohibit casting an in-person absentee ballot at a city clerks’ office on a weekend. It would also ban cities like Madison from allowing early voting more than 45 hours a week. Sen. Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, told Republicans that early voting adapts to peoples’ schedules in the modern world, and that there was no logic behind restricting it.

“This idea that people have to vote according to some Ozzie and Harriet world is beyond my comprehension,” said Cullen. “It’s not consistent with the way we lead the rest of our lives.”

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald told reporters he supported limiting early voting because of what he’d heard from rural constituents, “that are saying, ‘Why is there such a wide gap between certain parts of the state and how many hours are available to vote when that is not offered to some of those citizens that live in a very rural part of the state?’”

Also today, senators voted to allow election observers to get as close as three feet away from voters at a polling place. Democrats like Sen. Tim Carpenter said it was being pushed to intimidate likely Democratic voters.

“I know what will happen in Milwaukee,” said Carpenter. “That in certain wards and in certain areas, you have people that are just dying to come in and play Robocop and just come into the place and try and intimidate people to not vote.”

Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New-Berlin said clerks would still have some discretion, and could make observers stand as far back as eight feet.

“And the clerks’ ability to eject any disruptive observers stays in place,” said Lazich.

Both plans passed on 17-16 votes with Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, joining all Democrats in voting no.

The early voting bill heads next to the Assembly. The election observers bill heads to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk.