Suit seeks vote changes in Wis.

Pandemic won’t be over by November election, plaintiffs say

MADISON, Wis. — Advocates for people with disabilities and minority voters in Wisconsin filed a sweeping federal lawsuit Monday asking a judge to order that more poll workers be hired, every voter in the state receive an absentee ballot application and a host of other changes be made to ensure the August primary and November presidential election can be held safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Wisconsin has been at the center of the fight, both in court and out, over elections during the pandemic after it proceeded with its April 7 presidential primary even as other states delayed voting. The election drew widespread criticism as voters faced long lines in Green Bay and Milwaukee, where just five of 180 polling sites were open.

The lawsuit argues that not enough has been done since then to ensure that the upcoming elections can be conducted safely and fairly. Proceeding without the changes sought would violate the U.S. Constitution, the Voting Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, the lawsuit alleges.

It was filed against the Wisconsin Elections Commission by Disability Rights Wisconsin, a Milwaukee-based advocacy group Black Leaders Organizing for Communities and three voters who said they were prevented from voting, or faced obstacles to casting ballots, in the April 7 presidential primary and spring election.

Protect Democracy, a Washington, D.c.-based group formed by former aides to President Barack Obama, is assisting with the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs argue that the pandemic will still be ongoing, with no vaccine available, during the upcoming August statewide primary and November presidential elections. Voters will, understandably, fear for their safety if voting in person, the lawsuit alleges.

Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney declined to comment.