Wisconsin Considers Cutting Early Voting

By Erin Ferns Lee October 31, 2013
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A Wisconsin election bill that would change early voting opportunities for Wisconsin voters “for the worse” was heard today by the Senate Elections and Urban Affairs committee. Project Vote submitted testimony, cautioning against the bill and asking legislators to focus on improving voter access instead of restricting it.

The bill, SB 324 would cut early voting days, limit early voting hours, and make weekend early voting available by appointment only. Project Vote’s Estelle Rogers writes in her testimony:

“The most obvious question is, why? Like every state that has the option of early and/or absentee voting, Wisconsin has seen the rising popularity of voting in advance of Election Day. Americans’ busy and complicated lives make these alternatives more desirable, not less. And since election offices are already well staffed in the weeks prior to Election Day, any fiscal factor owing to accepting applications beyond normal business hours would be trivial at best.

“Unfortunately, the only realistic explanation for SB 324 is that Wisconsin legislators are being asked to participate in the lamentable nationwide trend of making it harder to vote, especially for those voters from the most historically marginalized demographic groups. Project Vote urges you to resist this trend and instead work toward greater voter participation and more opportunities to vote. Your country will thank you for it.”

In related news, a new study from Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law found that early voting improved voting conditions, and works best when offered two weeks before Election Day, including weekends.

Photo by Mr Jincks via Creative Commons.