Experts Say Wisconsin's Election on Tuesday was an Example of What NOT to Do
Thursday, April 9th, 2020 -- 11:47 AM
(AP) -If Wisconsin was a test case for voting in the age of the coronavirus, it did not go well for many voters.Thousands were forced to congregate for hours in long lines on Tuesday with no protective gear. Thousands more stayed home, unwilling to risk their health and unable to be counted because requested absentee ballots never arrived. Voters reported being afraid, angry and embarrassed by the state’s unwillingness to postpone their presidential primary elections as more than a dozen other states have already done. Neither Joe Biden nor Bernie Sanders will be declared a winner at least until next Monday in accordance with one of several court orders that shaped the contest. And there was evidence that minority voters were disproportionately impacted by widespread poll closures in their communities.
The chaos in Wisconsin, a premiere general election battleground, was expected to reverberate across states that still have primaries ahead. Alaska, Wyoming and Ohio are conducting contests by mail this month, and other states, including Georgia, are slated to hold in-person voting in May. Election experts warned that Wisconsin was an example of what not to do. And the experience added immediate context to the broader debate about protecting voting rights this November.
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