Wisconsin Governor to Sign GOP-Backed Bill Allowing Early Processing of Absentee Ballots

Bill aimed at reducing election day workload allows poll workers to verify voter eligibility and prepare absentee ballots for counting a day early, while keeping process shrouded from fraud claims by permitting actual vote tabulation only after polls close.

• Wisconsin's Democratic Governor, Tony Evers, has announced he will sign a Republican-backed bill that would allow state election officials to process absentee ballots a day before an election, if the legislation passes in its current form.
• The proposed measure is intended to decrease the pressure on local clerks and their staff during election day. However, vote counting would still not commence until after polls close.
• This move is expected to prevent late-night ballot counting, which has led to perceived swings in initial tallies when large numbers of election results are reported late into the night.
• Governor Evers has a history of vetoing GOP-sponsored election bills, but appears amenable to this one due to its aim of ensuring fair and secure elections, while reducing workload.
• Despite bipartisan support for early ballot processing in the past, the state legislature has turned down similar proposals. Nonetheless, the current bill, which also mandates new election night reporting requirements for local officials, does not have any Democrat sponsors.

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