Don’t interfere with the freedom to vote – Wisconsin Examiner

Im testifying today to opposeSB 207,SB 210, andSB 213, and Ill get into the details in just a bit.

But before I do that, I want to take just a minute to discuss the context in which these bills, and a raft of others, are circulating.

Let me be blunt: There is an effort under way, here in Wisconsin and around the country, to continue to cast doubt on the validity of the Nov. 3 election, the legitimacy of the Biden presidency, and the integrity of our elections.

In part, this is an effort to retroactively substantiate the bogus claims, repeated ad nauseam, by Donald Trump.

In part, it is an effort to feed the Republican base red meat, and on Jan. 6, we saw how a segment of that base reacts when fed that unhealthy diet.

And in part, it is an effort to erect barriers that interfere with the freedom to vote in an attempt to gain partisan advantage.

That is why we are seeing, in 43 states including Wisconsin, bills introduced that would interfere with the freedom to vote, the most basic freedom in our democracy.

This effort is toxic to our democracy.

Now, let me briefly discuss the particular problems we have withSB 207,SB 210, andSB 213.

SB 207would impair the ability of clerks to find sufficient poll workers to conduct a smooth election. The bill prohibits an employee of an issue advocacy group from acting as poll worker, and it doesnt define the term, issue advocacy group, either. Does this mean that no one who works for the League of Women Voters or the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign or the ACLU can act as a poll worker? As it is now, clerks have a hard enough time finding enough poll workers. This prohibition would make matters worse.

SB 210requires election administrators to allow observers to be no more than three feet away from where voters are registering or voting. This may present logistical problems for clerks, may jeopardize poll worker safety, and may increase the possibility of voter intimidation.

SB 213invites endless harassment of our election officials and endless litigation, and it would allow venue shopping in the courts to seek a favorable outcome. If any citizen can file a claim against any election official, youre going to gum up our elections as never before, entangling them in legal thickets. And by allowing venue shopping, you would risk raising the suspicion that the fix was in. One additional consequence would be that you would be making it more difficult than ever to find people willing to be an election official.

For these reasons, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign opposes SB 207, SB 210, and SB 213.

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Don't interfere with the freedom to vote - Wisconsin Examiner