Milwaukee Journal SentinelThe signs in battleground Wisconsin increasingly point to a new and volatile election scenario: a big Democratic-leaning bloc of voters casting absentee ballots — and a big Republican-leaning bloc voting at the polls on Election Day. Consider this finding from a Tuesday by the Marquette Law School: Among people planning to vote absentee by mail, Joe Biden leads the race for president by 67 points.Among people planning to vote in person on Election Day, Donald Trump leads by 41 points.While exceptionally stark, those numbers echo the and Wisconsin’s recent...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelThe signs in battleground Wisconsin increasingly point to a new and volatile election scenario: a big Democratic-leaning bloc of voters casting absentee ballots — and a big Republican-leaning bloc voting at the polls on Election Day. Consider this finding from a Tuesday by the Marquette Law School: Among people planning to vote absentee by mail, Joe Biden leads the race for president by 67 points.Among people planning to vote in person on Election Day, Donald Trump leads by 41 points.While exceptionally stark, those numbers echo the and Wisconsin’s recent...WW…

Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - In a sweeping decision that took more than three years to come out, a panel of federal judges on Monday reinstated limits on early voting and a requirement that voters be Wisconsin residents for at least a month before an election.The three judges also banned most voters from having absentee ballots emailed or faxed to them and told a lower court to continue to tweak the system the state uses to provide voting credentials to those who have the most difficulty getting photo IDs.The by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago was mostly a...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - In a sweeping decision that took more than three years to come out, a panel of federal judges on Monday reinstated limits on early voting and a requirement that voters be Wisconsin residents for at least a month before an election.The three judges also banned most voters from having absentee ballots emailed or faxed to them and told a lower court to continue to tweak the system the state uses to provide voting credentials to those who have the most difficulty getting photo IDs.The by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago was mostly a...WW…

Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - Republican legislative leaders lashed out Wednesday at Democratic Gov. Tony Evers after his staff secretly recorded a May 14 phone conversation over how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic the day after the state Supreme Court struck down the state's stay-at-home order.The recording and the reaction to it all but ensures a permanently broken relationship between Evers and Republicans who control the Legislature. The two sides have rarely gotten along since Evers was elected in 2018 and Wednesday's episode was characterized by...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - Republican legislative leaders lashed out Wednesday at Democratic Gov. Tony Evers after his staff secretly recorded a May 14 phone conversation over how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic the day after the state Supreme Court struck down the state's stay-at-home order.The recording and the reaction to it all but ensures a permanently broken relationship between Evers and Republicans who control the Legislature. The two sides have rarely gotten along since Evers was elected in 2018 and Wednesday's episode was characterized by...WW…

Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - Assembly Speaker Robin Vos blamed the culture of immigrant populations for a coronavirus outbreak in Racine County, according to a secret recording of his meeting last month with Gov. Tony Evers.“I know the reason at least in my region is because of a large immigrant population where it’s just a difference in culture where people are living much closer and working much closer,” the Rochester Republican said of an outbreak in Racine County. The Rochester Republican's comments prompted Latino groups to call for Vos' resignation."He should...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - Assembly Speaker Robin Vos blamed the culture of immigrant populations for a coronavirus outbreak in Racine County, according to a secret recording of his meeting last month with Gov. Tony Evers.“I know the reason at least in my region is because of a large immigrant population where it’s just a difference in culture where people are living much closer and working much closer,” the Rochester Republican said of an outbreak in Racine County. The Rochester Republican's comments prompted Latino groups to call for Vos' resignation."He should...WW…

Milwaukee Journal SentinelThe state Democratic Party filed a complaint Friday asking state officials to block rapper Kanye West from appearing on the presidential ballot in Wisconsin this November, saying his campaign was tardy submitting its signatures. The challenge also suggests there are numerous problems with West's nomination papers, including incorrect addresses for circulators and bogus signatures, such as "Mickey Mouse" and "Bernie Sanders." It also included affidavits from six individuals who said they were duped into putting their names on...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelThe state Democratic Party filed a complaint Friday asking state officials to block rapper Kanye West from appearing on the presidential ballot in Wisconsin this November, saying his campaign was tardy submitting its signatures. The challenge also suggests there are numerous problems with West's nomination papers, including incorrect addresses for circulators and bogus signatures, such as "Mickey Mouse" and "Bernie Sanders." It also included affidavits from six individuals who said they were duped into putting their names on...WW…

Milwaukee Journal SentinelGov. Tony Evers is requiring all Wisconsin residents to wear face masks while indoors until the end of September.  The and makes Wisconsin the 32nd state to require face coverings — a tool health experts say can substantially reduce transmission of the coronavirus, which can cause serious illness and death and has no vaccine. Evers took the step  — continuing an upward trend of infections in recent weeks. Along with the new face mask requirement, Evers declared a new public health emergency in Wisconsin over rising cases of the...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelGov. Tony Evers is requiring all Wisconsin residents to wear face masks while indoors until the end of September.  The and makes Wisconsin the 32nd state to require face coverings — a tool health experts say can substantially reduce transmission of the coronavirus, which can cause serious illness and death and has no vaccine. Evers took the step  — continuing an upward trend of infections in recent weeks. Along with the new face mask requirement, Evers declared a new public health emergency in Wisconsin over rising cases of the...WW…

Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - Early in-person voting kicks off Tuesday for Wisconsin's primary, but many people are turning to mail voting instead because of the coronavirus pandemic.   More than 785,000 voters have asked to have absentee ballots sent to them. That's more than 10 times as many early ballots as were cast in the 2016 primary, whether by mail or in person.The difference will only grow as more voters request absentee ballots for the Aug. 11 primary.Nearly 1 million Wisconsinites voted by mail in the April election for state Supreme Court — a...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - Early in-person voting kicks off Tuesday for Wisconsin's primary, but many people are turning to mail voting instead because of the coronavirus pandemic.   More than 785,000 voters have asked to have absentee ballots sent to them. That's more than 10 times as many early ballots as were cast in the 2016 primary, whether by mail or in person.The difference will only grow as more voters request absentee ballots for the Aug. 11 primary.Nearly 1 million Wisconsinites voted by mail in the April election for state Supreme Court — a...WW…

Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - The state Supreme Court upheld many of the lame-duck laws that limited the power of the governor and attorney general Thursday, but the justices tossed out provisions that dictated how government documents had to be written.  The ruling was a victory in many ways for Republicans who control the Legislature. It was a setback for Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and provided mixed results for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The included some unusual alliances. The justices unanimously agreed that some parts of the lame-duck laws...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - The state Supreme Court upheld many of the lame-duck laws that limited the power of the governor and attorney general Thursday, but the justices tossed out provisions that dictated how government documents had to be written.  The ruling was a victory in many ways for Republicans who control the Legislature. It was a setback for Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and provided mixed results for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The included some unusual alliances. The justices unanimously agreed that some parts of the lame-duck laws...WW…

Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - The U.S. Postal Service has identified hundreds of absentee ballots for the April election that never made it to voters or couldn't be counted because of postmark problems, a new report says. The post office's internal watchdog chalked the problems up to receiving outgoing absentee ballots at the last moment from election officials, inconsistent postmarking of ballots and one mail carrier's inattention to getting absentee ballots to voters in Fox Point. The  accounts for some but not all of the problems that marred voting for the...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - The U.S. Postal Service has identified hundreds of absentee ballots for the April election that never made it to voters or couldn't be counted because of postmark problems, a new report says. The post office's internal watchdog chalked the problems up to receiving outgoing absentee ballots at the last moment from election officials, inconsistent postmarking of ballots and one mail carrier's inattention to getting absentee ballots to voters in Fox Point. The  accounts for some but not all of the problems that marred voting for the...WW…

Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - Gov. Tony Evers' state budget would expand early voting, allow clerks to count absentee ballots before election day and require a voter bill of rights to be posted at every polling station.The Democratic governor's comes after the coronavirus pandemic upended elections in 2020. Republicans who control the Legislature have and are likely to toss out many of the voting proposals from Evers. Evers wants to allow local officials to decide when early voting should begin, instead of limiting it to the two weeks before election day. Republicans put the...…Milwaukee Journal SentinelMADISON - Gov. Tony Evers' state budget would expand early voting, allow clerks to count absentee ballots before election day and require a voter bill of rights to be posted at every polling station.The Democratic governor's comes after the coronavirus pandemic upended elections in 2020. Republicans who control the Legislature have and are likely to toss out many of the voting proposals from Evers. Evers wants to allow local officials to decide when early voting should begin, instead of limiting it to the two weeks before election day. Republicans put the...WW…