State Lawmakers Trying Again to Give Election Workers a Head Start on Processing Absentee Ballots

Wednesday, November 1st, 2023 -- 3:01 PM

(By Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio) After four years of failed attempts, Wisconsin lawmakers are reintroducing legislation to give election workers a one-day head start on processing absentee ballots in places like Milwaukee.

According to Rich Kremer with Wisconsin Public Radio, the idea of letting clerks and other election workers start canvassing absentee ballots before Election Day used to have bipartisan support.

Then came the 2020 presidential election and years of false claims from Former President Donald Trump that the election was stolen from him by way of early morning ballot dumps in Democratic cities. Under current law, absentee ballots cannot be processed until election day.

For large cities like Milwaukee and Madison, that takes time, and has led to swings in unofficial statewide results reported by the Associated Press on election night. On Thursday, Rep. Ron Tusler, R-Harrison, introduced a bill to give election workers a jump on canvassing those ballots.

It contains a host of other election-related changes that Democrats say make it hard for them to support. Tusler's office said he wasn't available for an interview, but he said in an email to colleagues last month that giving clerks a head start would make reporting Wisconsin election results more efficient.

"In 2018, voters in Wisconsin went to bed with one gubernatorial candidate in the lead," read the email to lawmakers seeking co-sponsors of the plan. "After the processing of all ballots was completed, the lead flipped to another candidate. In 2020, the same event took place. In 2022, some states much larger than Wisconsin reported results more rapidly."

Joining Tusler in sending the email were Rep. Dave Maxey, R-New Berlin and Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Appleton. While the plan currently has only Republican support, state Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, told Wisconsin Public Radio he's discussed the bill with fellow Democrats, Gov. Tony Evers and GOP lawmakers.

"I've had very positive conversations with some of my Republican colleagues about moving this bill forward in a form that we could all support this session," Spreitzer said.

That means pulling language regarding things like absentee ballot timelines and whistleblower protections for clerks from the legislation, Spreitzer said, issues that are working through the Legislature as stand-alone bills.

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