Federal Judge Says No To Postponing Wisconsin Election

Scott Anderson
Updated ·3 min read

MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin's April 7 presidential primary and general election is here to stay after a federal judge refused to postpone the election.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge William M. Conley of the U.S. District Court - Western District of Wisconsin refused to postpone the election, saying he did not see evidence that "hundreds of thousands" of voters would have their civil rights violated amid the coronavirus public health emergency.

As part of his ruling, Conley issued a stiff rebuke to those who asked him to postpone the election.

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“I don’t think it’s the job of a federal district judge to act as a super health department for the state of Wisconsin," he wrote in his ruling.

In a statement Thursday afternoon, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers praised the judge's decision, citing his own desire to maintain the April 7 election as planned, while also taking a political swipe at the Republican-controlled state legislature, which rebuffed his desire to have absentee ballots mailed to all registered voters.

“In the absence of the Legislature doing its part to ensure a fair and safe election, I appreciate that the court chose to implement some of the common-sense solutions that I’ve been advocating for. It’s great news that Wisconsinites will have more time to request and submit a ballot and that clerks will have more time to count ballots. I continue to encourage every Wisconsinite to request their absentee ballot and vote safely from home.”

Despite the judge's refusal in one arena, Conley extended the deadline for absentee ballots to be received by election officials from 8 p.m. on election night to 4 p.m. on April 13. The move gives poll workers more time to tally votes.Conley also ruled that people can request absentee ballots until Friday, April 3.

In his ruling, Conley also said people who were unable to get a witness signature on their absentee ballot submission could write a statement indicating as such.

Ruling Comes At Critical Juncture

News of the federal ruling comes as Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is calling out the National Guard to staff polling places across the state. Election officials said nearly 60 percent of Wisconsin municipalities have an urgent shortage of poll workers.

Many jurisdictions have "dramatically consolidated polling places," state official said. According to the Wisconsin Election Commission, there are 111 communities that do not have the ability to staff even one polling place on April 7. Wisconsin local election officials say they're about 7,000 poll workers short for election day.

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This article originally appeared on the Brookfield Patch