Voters in Wisconsin endure long lines, chaotic primary
MADISON, Wis. — Thousands of Wisconsin voters waited hours in long lines Tuesday outside overcrowded polling stations, ignoring federal health recommendations so they could participate in a presidential primary election that tested the limits of electoral politics in the midst of a pandemic.
Thousands more stayed home, unwilling to risk their health during a statewide stay-at-home order, but complained that the absentee ballots they had requested were still missing.
Pregnant and infected with the coronavirus, Hannah Gleeson, 34, was still waiting Tuesday for the absentee ballot that she requested last week.
“It seems really unfair and undemocratic and unconstitutional, obviously,” said Gleeson, who works at an assisted-living center in Milwaukee. “It seems really absurd. And I think it’s voter suppression at its finest.”
The chaos in Wisconsin, a key generalelection battleground, underscored the lengths to which the coronavirus outbreak has upended politics as Democrats seek a nominee to take on President Donald Trump this fall. As the first state to hold a presidential primary contest in three weeks, Wisconsin became a test case for dozens of states struggling to balance public health concerns with voting rights.
Joe Biden hopes the state will help deliver a knockout blow to Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont in the nomination fight, but the winner of Tuesday’s contest may be less significant than Wisconsin’s decision to allow voting at all. Its ability to host an election during a growing pandemic could have significant implications for upcoming primaries and even the general election.
Results were not expected Tuesday night. A court ruling appeared to prevent results from being made public earlier than next Monday.
After several hours of voting, there were signs that the Wisconsin test was not going well.
The state’s largest city opened just five of its 180 traditional polling places, forced to downsize after hundreds of poll workers stepped down because of health risks. The resulting logjam forced voters to wait together in lines spanning several blocks in some cases. Many did not have facial coverings.
The election complications had a racial component.
Milwaukee is home to the state’s largest concentration of black voters, a community that has been hit harder than others in the early stages of the pandemic. Reduced minority turnout would benefit Republicans in a series of state and local elections.
Michael Claus, 66, was among the many voters who risked their health to vote. Claus, who is black, wore a protective mask and a Tuskegee Airmen cap.
He said he tried to vote absentee and requested a ballot in March, but it never showed up. His only option was to vote in person.
“They could have delayed the election with no problem,” Claus said. “They decided if they can suppress the vote in Milwaukee and Madison, where you have a large minority presence, you can get people elected you want elected. And that’s sad.”