(Madison, Wis.) – VoteSafe WI is announcing the addition of four new coalition members today as the group continues to expand its influence and lend its voice across the state highlighting the need for voting that is secure and safe during COVID-19. U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D), Wisconsin Senate President Roger Roth (R), former State Sen. Mark Meyer (D), and Chippewa County Clerk Jaclyn Sadler (D) joined the bipartisan coalition to help support the principles of VoteSafe WI.
“A free and fair election process is the keystone of our democracy,” Kind said. “With even more hurdles to voting this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we must ensure every voter is able to make their voice heard safely and securely. I am proud to join VoteSafe WI in their efforts to do just that and to ensure that nobody has to choose between their health and their right to vote.”
“Voting is a sacred right, and I want the people of Wisconsin to know that their vote will remain secure, as well as safe, this fall,” Roth said. “I’m proud to support VoteSafe Wisconsin’s efforts, to help make sure that through secure absentee ballots and safe in-person polling locations, Wisconsin can vote with confidence in November.”
These four new coalition members join Attorney General Josh Kaul (Democratic Co-Chair) and former Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen (Republican Co-Chair) along with coalition members former Governor Scott McCallum (R); former Congressmen Reid Ribble (R), Tom Petri (R), and Scott Klug (R); former Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder (R); Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley (D); State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski (D), State Sen. Kathy Bernier (R), and former State Sen. Gary Goyke (D); Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson (D), Vilas County Clerk David Alleman (R), Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell (D); former Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate; and Millennial Action Project President and Founder Steven Olikara.
These new members also join our organizational endorsers WE CAN VOTE, the Millennial Action Project, and the Milwaukee Bucks to help spread awareness about safe and secure voting during the pandemic.
VoteSafe WI’s bipartisan coalition includes principled leaders who want to ensure voters have ballot access in ways all parties can agree on — accessible, secure absentee voting and safe, in-person voting sites. Wisconsinites should have choices so they can exercise their right to vote without risking their health. VoteSafe WI is part of a national network of VoteSafe coalitions who are committed to secure absentee ballots and safe polling sites while pursuing their goals in a way that makes sense in their respective states.
VoteSafe WI’s principles are:
-
Wisconsin should ensure that voters have broad access to both secure absentee ballots and safe, in-person voting sites; and
-
Public officials shall use all tools within their authority to ensure that every ballot is verified and every vote is counted. The American people must be able to trust the process and the result.
The national VoteSafe coalition is a cross-partisan group of elections administrators and nonpartisan organizations endorsing the simple principle that every American has the right to vote safely amidst the pandemic. Its goal is to ensure the safety and security of all voters as they exercise their constitutional right. The national coalition is co-chaired by former Secretary of Homeland Security and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R) and former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D).
