Wisconsin Republicans support new legislation that would change how long you would have to vote absentee in person. The proposal cuts the time frame from three weeks to two. One election specialist talked about the impact she expects.
“We’re expecting more through the mail, and we’re expecting to have more employees on staff to handle absentee voting the last two weeks because we anticipate the numbers being up,” says Eau Claire Election Specialist Cheryl Brunner. One local republican says it’s important to approve this bill alongside the voter ID changes to protect against fraud.
“There’s just a lot of possibility for mistakes; hopefully not, but the possibility is certainly there and we’ve seen instances of it of fraudulent votes cast,” says Brain Westrate, Chairman of the Republican Party of Eau Claire County.
“There is no fraud. They can’t prove fraud. They’ve never been able to prove fraud,” says Jeff Smith, Co-Chairman of the Eau Claire County Democratic Party. “I just think it’s outrageous that they are taking away the opportunity for people to vote. This is an attack on minorities. This is an attack on senior citizens who may be homebound, hospitalized or whatever. This is an attack on people of lesser financial stability. This is an attack on people.”
Full Article: Republicans trying to shorten absentee voting period – WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and Sports.