Tomorrow, May 5, the Senate Committee on Elections, Election Process Reform and Ethics will hold a hearing on Senate Bills 203, 206, 209 and 212. All four of these bills will place an undue burden on voters or will create new barriers to participating in our elections.
The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin believes that voting is a fundamental citizen right that must be guaranteed. Participating in our democracy by voting should be a safe, accessible and positive experience for all eligible Wisconsin residents and to that end, we oppose all four of these Senate Bills.
We urge you to take action to show your opposition to Senate Bills 203, 206, 209 and 212, encouraging members of the Senate Committee to also oppose the bills because of the burden they will place on voters, especially those with disabilities, and on our democracy. Below outlines the options you have to take action, and at the end of this message there are also summaries of the provisions of each bill.
HOW TO TAKE ACTION
Speak at the hearing. If you want to testify remotely, contact Senator Bernier’s office in advance for information. State which bills you want to testify about and your position (opposed, in favor, or for information).
- Email Sen.Bernier [at] legis.wisconsin.gov or call at (608) 266-7511
- Email the committee clerk at Nathan.Duerkop [at] legis.wisconsin.gov
- Sen.Bernier [at] legis.wisconsin.gov
- Sen.Darling [at] legis.wisconsin.gov
- Sen.Stroebel [at] legis.wisconsin.gov
- Sen.Smith [at] legis.wisconsin.gov
- Sen.Roys [at] legis.wisconsin.gov
DETAILS ON THE BILLS
SB 203 prohibits any individual from helping more than one non-family member to return their absentee ballot. There have been no charges of illegal activity related to the very American practice of helping one’s neighbor cast an absentee ballot. Current law provides many safeguards to prevent such problems. SB 203 would only limit the options voters have for obtaining and returning an absentee ballot and would not improve elections.
SB 206 places unnecessary restrictions on the ability to cast an absentee ballot and allows for no flexibility to address unforeseen personal or public circumstances such as an unexpected illness in the family or a pandemic. The bill would limit the rights of voters who currently certify as indefinitely confined and impose extreme requirements for those under the age of 65 to obtain statements signed by a doctor. This bill creates new hurdles for voters, especially those with disabilities, and makes providing assistance a felony crime.
SB 209 prohibits municipalities from having more than one drop box, and the box must be affixed to the building that houses the clerk’s office. Drop boxes helped thousands of Wisconsin voters around the state return their absentee ballots safely in a timely manner during the pandemic elections. Limiting municipalities to one ballot box does not increase accessibility by residents of various neighborhoods, and it would actually be a decrease in accessibility for those municipalities that had installed multiple drop boxes last year.
SB 212 requires clerks to return to the voter any absentee ballot that has an incomplete certificate. The clerk must also post a notification of the defect on the voter's information page in the voter registration database. While we could support legislation requiring clerks to inform voters of an incomplete certificate, this bill does nothing to assist voters to remedy the error or omission. It prohibits clerks from making common-sense corrections of a witness’s address, something we have supported since 2016. This legislation only gives reason to disqualify the ballots of eligible voters.
