One Wisconsin Institute Praises City of Milwaukee Action to Expand Early Voting Opportunities

MILWAUKEE — Voting rights advocates are celebrating passage of a budget provision adding early voting sites in the City of Milwaukee. In total, there will be eight satellite locations to help make voting easier and more convenient for city residents.

Previously, Gov. Walker and the Republican controlled legislature had adopted laws to place new limits on the hours and days of early voting and state law did not allow for multiple early voting locations.

A federal lawsuit brought by One Wisconsin Institute, Citizen Action of Wisconsin and other voting rights advocates, One Wisconsin Institute, et. al. v. Thomsen, et. al., resulted in the restrictions on early voting in Wisconsin being struck down. Record numbers of early votes were subsequently cast in the November 2016 election as many municipalities offered expanded early voting hours and some, like the City of Madison that used public libraries, aggressively moved to offer early voting at multiple locations.

The following are the statements of One Wisconsin Institute Executive Director Scot Ross:

“When given the opportunity to vote, voters vote.

“That’s what we saw in 2016 after a federal judge struck down restrictions on early voting that were intended to discriminate and keep people’s voices from being heard on election day.

“The real fraud in Wisconsin elections is partisan politicians like Scott Walker and the Republican controlled legislature manipulating the rules on voting to give themselves an unfair advantage.

“Kudos to the leaders in the City of Milwaukee fighting back against the fraud. By expanding access to early voting, it’s easier and more convenient for everyone to cast a ballot and to have their vote counted.”