WISCONSIN – This week, legislators in Madison will introduce a set of election reforms, the most prominent of which is supported by more than 75% of Wisconsin voters. The package would enact Monday processing of absentee ballots, a fix that will give election administrators a head start on tallying ballots the morning of Election Day and will speed up the announcement of election outcomes significantly.
In the buildup to the package’s introduction, State Rep. Scott Krug joined several outlets to promote the bill. See below for a roundup of the coverage
WISN UpFront: Republicans set to propose sweeping changes to ballot drop boxes ahead of midterms
Republicans are set to introduce a sweeping package of election bills this week that would allow for “Monday processing” and impose new security measures for ballot drop boxes statewide.
“We’ve worked really hard with stakeholders across the spectrum, whether it’s voting groups in Milwaukee or county clerks association, Democrats in the Legislature, even talking to the governor’s office about almost everything that’s been in these bills, to say we haven’t done our homework or that these are just Republican wish list ideas, I think that would be a stretch,” Republican Rep. Scott Krug, the vice chair of the Assembly elections committee, said Sunday on “UPFRONT. “I think it’s fair to say that some of these things Republicans may not like either.”
he largest bill includes multiple election-related issues, including allowing election officials to begin processing absentee ballots the day before Election Day, a bipartisan effort that has passed the Assembly but failed in the Senate.
CBS 58 Milwaukee: New bills propose drop box rules, counting absentee ballots a day early
Republican Rep. Scott Krug, Assembly assistant majority leader and vice chair of the Assembly Elections Committee, plans to introduce the bills this week. He said four bills in the package aim to secure and maintain elections in Wisconsin.
“We always know Wisconsin elections are super close. Whichever side loses has always got some complaints about the process. We are looking for bipartisan solutions to figure out a way to get rid of those arguments,” Krug said. “All four of these bills kind of reach the standard that President Trump has laid out about more security, safety, making sure we know who is voting and where, but they do stop short of some of the things the federal government has said about no machine voting and no absentee ballots by mail.”
Fox 6 Milwaukee: Wisconsin election results; new proposal would speed up process
Battleground Wisconsin’s big election results usually come hours after election day. State Rep. Scott Krug’s (R-Rome) proposal could bring them sooner.
…Wisconsin election workers cannot do any processing of absentee ballots until polls open on election day. It takes time. Poll workers have to open the envelope, smooth out the ballot, and assign the absentee voter a number in the poll book.
Big picture view: The National Conference of State Legislatures said 43 states allow some ballot processing before election day.
More information on the Democracy Defense Project can be found at https://www.democracydefenseproject.org/wi.