Wisconsin Lawmakers Release Bipartisan Plans to Address Problems with Elections

Sunday, May 7th, 2023 -- 10:00 AM

(AP) Wisconsin lawmakers unveiled bipartisan plans on Thursday to address problems that have disrupted how elections have been administered in the presidential battleground state since 2020.

Among other changes, the proposals would prevent last-minute polling site closures, better protect election officials and enact stricter military voting requirements to deter fraud. The bills add to a growing list of proposals from a group of Democrats and Republicans focused on making the state's elections safer and more secure.

Their efforts stand in stark contrast to bills put forth by GOP lawmakers during the last legislative session that sought to limit local clerks’ power and make it harder to vote. One of the bills announced Thursday would raise the penalty for intentionally harming an election official from a misdemeanor to a felony and prohibit public access to records containing an election official’s address.

It would also protect election officials from losing their jobs for reporting suspicious activity and fraud. Elections and the people who run them have increasingly become the targets of threats and misinformation in recent cycles, with one in six election officials nationwide reporting that they had been personally threatened, according to a 2022 survey by the Brennan Center for Justice.

“We want them to feel safe conducting their duties. They deserve to do their job without fear for their personal safety or their job security,” Republican state Rep. Joy Goeben said Thursday.

Another bill would prohibit towns and cities from closing more than half their polling locations unless local lawmakers hold a public hearing and approve the shutdowns at least 30 days before an election.

Polling sites could only be closed fewer than 30 days before an election with permission of the local clerk and the head of the local lawmaking body.

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