Republicans Are Forcing Wisconsin to Hold an Election in a Coronavirus Pandemic

[Galraedia]

Wisconsin is careening towards an election-day disaster on Tuesday, an ominous preview of how the pandemic, paired with partisanship, could shape the presidential elections this fall.

The state is the only one that refused to move its elections out of April to respond to the coronavirus. And the Republicans who control Wisconsin’s state legislature, working closely with the national GOP, spent weeks refusing to change election rules to make it easier to vote safely.

Wisconsin Republicans have been working closely with Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee to try to prevent universal vote-by-mail in the state, part of an expansive effort from the RNC as they ramp up to fight coronavirus-related election changes they think could hurt their election chances.

“There’s serious concern on the conservative side that the liberals are changing the rules in the middle of the election and tilting them toward their favor,” said Brian Reisinger, a top Wisconsin GOP strategist. “There’s a major feeling that absentee and early voting are tools of the left to make up for the fact that they can’t win on election day.”

Read more: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/n7jg4z/republicans-are-forcing-wisconsin-to-hold-an-election-in-a-coronavirus-pandemic

[kurtcagle]

1. This will backfire big time

I think it likely this will backfire big time for the GOP in and out of Wisconsin.

There's an interesting theory that keeps getting borne out time and time again. The more conservative you are, the more likely you are to be germaphobic. The amygdala in conservatives, which controls things like a fear of "dirty" immigrants, also plays a big role in hypochondria. In the Wisconsin primary election, whether or not there is a heavy turnout of Republicans is irrelevant - but it will be very interesting to see how big the turnout is in comparison to previous years. Where this becomes a factor is in November, where it is likely that the worst of the pandemic will be over but where it may very well be raging in places like Wisconsin.

Given a choice between going to vote in person and voting by mail, I suspect that most Republican leaning voters would far rather do the latter if the pandemic is still strong, and that they will simply not vote. Democrats, on the other hand, will be more likely at that point to vote even in person come hell or high water given what's happening with voting restrictions and everything else.

[Chainfire]

2. The may be estimating

That old people will stay home while the young ones go out to vote, tossing a Bernie bomb into the mix. They would much rather run against Sanders.

The Republicans and the Russians will pull out all of the old dirty tricks books for this one. At best they are just dirty, rotten, scheming bastards with no respect for the Constitution, the voters, and they are totally devoid of ethics or morals. They are conservatives, scheming, cheating and lying is what they do best.

But other than that, they are nice folks.

[Cha]

3. Sit Down and Shut UP, Brian Reisinger.. you're a ******* Whiny

tool.. and you aren't very good at it.

[OnDoutside]

4. How does it make sense that Republicans can have any influence

over a Democratic primary ?

[democrattotheend]

6. It's not just the Democratic primary

There's also a general election that day for a key state supreme court seat.

[OnDoutside]

7. Ah ok, thanks.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

5. Because we know the Republicans would NEVER do anything to tilt the election in their favor.

cough-cough--voter suppression--cough-cough--gerrymandering...

[comradebillyboy]

9. Thank you for doing your civic duty in these

troubled times.

[Hortensis]

10. :) This is just as I would have expected, thanks.

Voting is NOT more dangerous than grocery shopping and incredibly more important.

I distrust all messages suggesting it's too much to expect people to go vote.

[Happy Hoosier]

12. Always remember: When we can vote, we win. The GrOPers know that. NT