Some lawmakers were poised to act even before the pandemic prompted an unprecedented 59% of Wisconsinites who voted to cast absentee ballots in the general election — a massive increase over previous elections.
A bipartisan bill proposed by Sen. Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, in November 2019 would have made it possible for municipalities to begin processing absentee ballots on the day before an election. The bill failed to pass before the end of the session. In mid-October, nearly two dozen Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, urging them to pass the bill.
“Election integrity is of utmost concern for voters in Wisconsin,” the lawmakers wrote, “and the longer the count takes, the more potential for mistrust in results to be fomented by those who mean harm to our democracy.”