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Wisconsin Election Back On For Tuesday In The Middle Of Coronavirus Pandemic

Wisconsin will hold its primary election on Tuesday after all.

The state’s high court blocked an emergency order from Gov. Tony Evers (D) that called for a postponement of in-person voting until June — a win for Republicans in the state who have fought any Election Day changes to account for the coronavirus pandemic.

The 4-2 decision, with conservative justices in favor and liberal justices dissenting, came 14 hours before polls are set to open in Wisconsin. An hour later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that all absentee ballots had to be postmarked by April 7 and received by April 13 to be counted — accepting yet another Republican appeal to restrict mail-in voting.

That vote, too, was along ideological lines. As of Monday, the Wisconsin Election Commission reported that 43% of requested absentee ballots had not been returned. Those who do not receive a ballot by Tuesday will have to vote in person.

“The Supreme Court of the United States legislated from the bench today, following Trump team’s orders and writing a new election law to disenfranchise untold thousands of Wisconsin voters and consign an unknown number of Wisconsinites to their deaths,” Ben Wikler, the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said Monday night in a statement.

Evers tried to unilaterally change the election’s date to June 9 in an order unveiled Monday afternoon. The order stood on uneasy legal grounds, as Wisconsin’s primary election date is set by state statute. Last week, even Evers, seemingly resigned to the April 7 election, said his hands were tied.

Republicans hellbent on keeping Election Day plans intact appealed Evers’ order...

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