John,

 

This week, our nation has been focused extensively on preserving the integrity of our election system. Without a question, reforms are needed. This is why Mike was joined by a number of Wisconsin Republican Congressmen in calling for reforms to our state’s voting processes.

Check out the full op ed here. Mike and the Wisconsin Republicans said in part:

 

“Wisconsinites have lost trust in our election system. Whether you agree or disagree with the many claims of election fraud, the fact is there are glaring problems with our voting processes that need to be fixed. Just as Florida passed election reform in 2001 after the 2000 election controversy, Wisconsin must do the same before any future election is held. This election reform should include, at a minimum, the following steps.”

 

Among the reforms, Mike called for:

 

Step 1: Correct the voter rolls

First, Wisconsin must maintain up-to-date, accurate voter rolls so non-residents and deceased individuals cannot vote in Wisconsin elections....

 

Step 2: Ban Ballot Harvesting

“Ballot harvesting,” where individuals or groups gather other people’s absentee ballots and deliver them to election clerks, is a dangerous idea and is ripe for voter intimidation. Technically it is already illegal in Wisconsin, but again WEC has failed to enforce the law as written….

 

Step 3: Close the Voter ID Loophole

Wisconsin has strong, necessary voter ID laws, but a current loophole allows absentee voters to sidestep these requirements if they self-identify as “indefinitely confined.” Unsurprisingly, after liberal county clerks in Dane and Milwaukee counties encouraged voters to claim indefinite confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of “indefinitely confined” voters in Wisconsin skyrocketed from 72,000 to over 200,000. The massive increase is not a result of age, physical illness, infirmity, disability (i.e. legitimate reasons for claiming indefinite confinement), or even coronavirus…. We should close this loophole and require an ID in order to vote. 

 

Step 4: No Midnight Ballot Dumps

On election night, after weeks of voting, many Wisconsinites went to bed thinking President Trump had won re-election, only to wake up to see that his 100,000 vote lead had disappeared when absentee ballots in largest cities were counted….. We must find a way to avoid central counts coming in late, either with more manpower, disallowing central counts, or by allowing clerks to review and verify signatures without opening absentee ballots prior to election day.

 

Step 5: All clerks must follow the letter of the law

All clerks must follow the letter of the law and follow the same rules. A core tenant of fairness is to treat everyone equally. This is critical in our elections. We need consistent rules across the state and clerks must be required to follow them to the letter of the law. We can no longer allow some clerks to discard a ballot when a witness address is not complete and allow another to “cure” the ballot by filling in missing information…. What is needed are clear, consistent rules applied fairly and uniformly across the state. 

 

Step 6: Eliminate confusion

Under current law, voters can request an absentee ballot at the beginning of the year for every election held in that calendar year. This practice has created confusion and misunderstanding for both voters and clerks…. At minimum, the law should allow voters to only request an absentee ballot for one primary and general election at a time.  

Mike is going to keep leading the charge to fix what’s broken in our election system and we’re glad to have you with us.

 

Patrick