Absentee Voters Begin Casting Ballots this Week in Wisconsin, Rights Workers Eye Hostile DoJ

Updated - Madison, Wisconsin — An expected 100,000s of absentee voters begin casting ballots this week in the midterm Wisconsin general elections.

In the last gubernatorial election in 2014, 374,075 residents cast absentee ballots,(General Election Voter Registration and Absentee Statistics 1984-2016. 2014 voter turnout, 54.84%, Wisconsin Election Commission).

This year both absentee voting and turnout are expected to soar following increased efforts of election clerks in metro voting districts to help eligible voters cast their votes, (In These Times).

The metro clerks, who administer elections, have been freed from Republican-enacted restrictions to serve eligible voters since July 2016 when a federal voting rights case ruling swept away large elements of the Republican Party's voter-obstruction legislative initiative.

Madison has led the way in assisting voters. Most recently, a record (unofficial) turnout of 42.76 percent in the August primary elections was achieved in a continuing effort to secure the right to vote under Article III of the Wisconsin Constitution.

Madison announced its tentative schedule and new record number of locations for early voting, slated to begin on Sept 20 at City Hall.

Did you know that early voting starts soon in some communities - Madison on Sept. 20 and Milwaukee on Sept. 24! What a great service for voters. Do you know any other places where early voting starts this month? @LWV_WI @COVOBCWI @MadisonWIClerk

— EPWisco (@EPWisco) September 17, 2018

The federal Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE) law mandates states and territories transmit ballots for federal elections "to absent uniformed services and overseas voters no later than 45 days before federal elections," (Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE). This year the 45-day mandate makes Sept 24 the deadline.
 ---
Voting rights workers are watching the Republican Wisconsin Dept of Justice for whom voting rights are a societal defect to be overcome.

The Republican DoJ could attempt a last-minute legal effort to halt voting rights, as the DoJ did in 2014 in a widely criticized state action and federal appellate ruling.

Two federal voting rights cases  — One Wisconsin Institute v. Thomsen and Frank v. Walker — are before the full circuit at the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, (Marley, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

In August, Mal Contends emailed a voting rights question to two state DoJ officials, Mss. Ballwegra and Mikalofsky, reading: "Can we expect a new filing to Seventh Circuit from DoJ in the next several weeks Re One Wisconsin Now and Walker v. Frank?"

No response has been received. ---

Have you requested an absentee ballot for the Nov. 6 election? If so, we're diligently working to get your ballot to you. This is a fraction of the thousands of ballots that will be shipped out, beginning this week. For info on how to vote absentee, visit https://t.co/pdwvaBFqe7 pic.twitter.com/BpohJAk1hv

— Madison WI Clerk (@MadisonWIClerk) September 18, 2018