The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has touched nearly every aspect of our lives — rapidly changing how we work, socialize, shop and function on a daily basis. And now it’s fundamentally reshaping our democracy.

The collective shift toward social distancing and the urgent calls for Americans to stay at home has forced us to rethink our approach to voting. States across the country are grappling with how to preserve public health while also keeping elections safe and accessible. In addition to an unprecedented surge in absentee voting, Wisconsin saw several changes made this weekend that will impact the upcoming spring elections on April 7th. Here’s what you need to know.

Online voting registration period extended: A federal judge on Friday moved to give Wisconsinites more time to register to vote, reopening online registration until March 30. The Wisconsin Election Commission has said that the online registration system is back up, but it still may be slow because of high demands on the system. If you have a Wisconsin driver’s license or state ID card, you can register here: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-US/RegisterToVote

Early voting sites closed: Early voting sites in Milwaukee and Madison, and possibly elsewhere, have been closed by officials who have deemed it too great of a risk to people’s health. We encourage you to vote by mail and request an absentee ballot here as soon as possible, because your clerk has to receive your ballot back by Election Day (April 7): https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/VoteAbsentee  If you consider yourself to be indefinitely confined to home due to age, physical illness, infirmity or disability, you do not need to include a photo ID to request an absentee ballot.

Statewide “Stay at Home” order declared: Governor Tony Evers announced Monday that he has issued a “stay at home” order that will go into effect on Tuesday. The order will close all non-essential businesses and require workers to work from home. It remains unclear how the policy will impact in-person voting on election day.  

The April 7th election situation is fluid, and we know that it can be confusing.  We will keep you updated with any additional changes, and we encourage everyone who can to vote by mail: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/VoteAbsentee

Before you vote, you can also review our guide to voting by mail, resources on the state State Supreme Court race and our blog about the danger of Marsy’s Law.

ACLU of Wisconsin is Additionally Calling for the Release of People Currently in Pretrial Detention Because of Cash Bail to Prevent a Public Health Crisis
 
MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin officials should heed public health experts’ advice and immediately release individuals in detention who are at high risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19, wrote the ACLU of Wisconsin in a letter to Governor Tony Evers and other criminal justice system stakeholders today. In the letter, they are asking to ensure that system actors are responding to recommendations put forth by public health experts, specifically calling for the immediate release from prisons and jails of communities identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as vulnerable, as well as people currently in pretrial detention, to prevent a public health crisis.

“Public health experts recognize that there is a heightened risk of infection for people who are involved in the criminal legal system,” said Chris Ott, ACLU of Wisconsin executive director.  “From policing, prosecution and pretrial hearings, to sentencing, confinement, and release, every aspect of the system must come under intense scrutiny for how it responds to this national public health crisis. The steps we’re calling for today will help protect vulnerable populations, advance public health, and combat the spread of this harmful virus.”  

In the letter, the ACLU of Wisconsin is calling on: 

• Governor Evers to grant commutations to anyone identified by the CDC as particularly vulnerable whose sentence would end in the next two years, to anyone whose sentence would end in the next year, and to anyone currently being held on a technical (crimeless) supervision violation.
• Police to stop arresting people for minor offenses and in other circumstances issue citations or desk-tickets in lieu of arrest so that people can return home, balancing the need for arrest with the overwhelming public safety concerns presented by coronavirus.
• Prosecutors to avoid cash bail requests and move for release in all but the very few cases where pretrial detention is absolutely the least restrictive means necessary to ensure a person’s return to court. They should also institute a review-and-release protocol in cases which bail was already sought in the past 30 days and the person is currently detained. 
• Judges to allow anyone with an open criminal case and upcoming hearing the chance to voluntarily waive that hearing or conduct that hearing via telephone or video conference. 
• Sheriffs to ensure that facilities are as empty, safe, and clean as possible and that hygiene products are free and readily available to incarcerated people and staff. 
• Probation and Parole Agents and Parole Boards to expedite and expand release opportunities for incarcerated people, reducing the population in prisons as recommended by health experts. Boards should institute a presumption for release for all people who have a parole hearing scheduled in the next two years. 

According to the ACLU of Wisconsin’s Smart Justice Blueprint, the number of people over the age of 50 in Wisconsin prisons, a population generally considered to pose a negligible risk to public safety while being highly vulnerable to complications from COVID-19, more than tripled between 2000 and 2016, growing from 1,320 people to 4,384 people. As of December 2016, nearly one in every five people (19 percent) imprisoned in Wisconsin was age 50 or older. Twenty-eight percent of people age 50 or older in Wisconsin prisons in 2017 were serving time for nonviolent offenses. 

Public health experts and groups such as Dr. Gregg Gonsalves, doctors working in New York City Hospitals, Dr. Marc Stern, Dr. Oluwadamilola T. Oladeru and Adam Beckman, Dr. Anne Spaulding, Homer Venters, and Josiah Rich have all clearly stated that preventing the harm inflicted by SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 can become immensely more difficult for people involved in the criminal legal system. By following the recommendations outlined in the ACLU’s letter, state and local officials can create a culture in which transparency, safety, and the health of all people is the paramount concern.