WISCONSIN — Governor Tony Evers is calling for a special session on Saturday to discuss the upcoming election.
According to the governor, he would like to see absentee ballots mailed out to every Wisconsin citizen who has not yet requested one.
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Evers would like to see these ballots mailed out by May 19, and extend the receiving date to May 26.
The special session to discuss these new requests will take place on Saturday, at 4 p.m. Should these new requests go into effect, all in-person voting would be canceled. That includes drive-up voting.
“As we’ve faced these challenges over the past few weeks, I have also asked the people of our state to do their part to help. Well here’s the bottom line folks: if, as elected officials, we’re going to expect the people of our state to make sacrifices to keep all of us safe, then, by golly, we better be willing do our part, too. So, today I announced that I am calling the Legislature into a special session to do its part—just as all of us are—to help keep our neighbors, our families, and our communities safe," said Governor Evers.
House Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) released the following statement.
"In a crisis, people look for certainty. In elections during uncertain times, it's important that no one questions the process. That’s why it’s so disappointing that Governor Evers has flip-flopped on the very question that we have been discussing over the past month.
"If the governor had legitimate concerns, we could have come to a bipartisan solution weeks ago. This discussion would have happened long before today. The only bipartisan discussion we’ve had was to ensure the election would continue safely and to maximize the opportunity to vote absentee.
"Unfortunately, it’s this type of feckless leadership Wisconsin has come to expect of the governor in the face of this crisis. Instead of remaining strong to ensure our representative democracy continues, he caves under political pressures from national liberal special interest groups.
"Hundreds of thousands of workers are going to their jobs every day, serving in essential roles in our society. There's no question that an election is just as important as getting as take-out food.
"Our Republic must continue to function, and the many local government positions on the ballot must be filled so that municipalities can swiftly respond to the crisis at hand. We continue to support what Governor Evers has supported for weeks: the election should continue as planned on Tuesday."