The Wisconsin State Legislature is moving very quickly on several bills that would make it more difficult for Wisconsinites to obtain an absentee ballot or vote. Contact your State Senator and Assembly Representative today to keep voting safe and accessible for all eligible citizens. The following bills have votes in committee or on the senate floor this Wednesday and Thursday.

Tell your Senator and Assembly Representative to:

• Oppose SB 204, which would require indefinitely confined voters to apply for an absentee ballot for each and every election they wish to vote in, and they would have to provide a picture of their photo ID with each request. This would be an unnecessary burden for voters.
• Oppose SB 205, which would require residential care facilities, such as nursing homes, to notify the relatives of occupants of the dates and times when special voting deputies (SVDs) will be visiting the facility. The bill also makes it a felony for an employee of these facilities to encourage an occupant to apply for an absentee ballot or vote. Charging people with a felony for making a good faith effort to encourage people to vote is extreme. This offensive legislation assumes the residents cannot make independent decisions.
• Oppose SB 211, which requires the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) to create a very detailed absentee ballot application that is separate and distinct from the absentee ballot certificate envelope voters must already complete when they return their absentee ballots. This makes it more burdensome for voters to request an absentee ballot, and especially so for voters with disabilities. 
• Oppose AB 198 / SB 212, which prohibits local clerks from making common-sense corrections on an absentee ballot certificate, such as completing a witness address. This would do nothing to help people vote, and it would result in the disqualification of many legitimate ballots. 
• Oppose SB 210 / AB 170, which would allow observers to be within 3 feet of the poll workers who are assisting with voter registration or voter check-in at the polls. As an organization that advocates for voters and also places trained observers in the polls, we believe having observers this close fails to protect a voter’s confidential documents and could be intimidating for some voters and poll workers.

To find out how to contact your State Senator and Assembly Representative, go to the Wisconsin State Legislature website and type in your address under “Who are my legislators?”