Wisconsin, which could play a pivotal role in November’s election, held a primary on Tuesday unlike any seen before.
Voters turned out, often waiting for hours in long, social-distancing lines. Some of those lines were still shuffling along after nightfall.
They did so in spite of Republicans in the state legislature and conservatives on the state supreme court who turned back the Democratic governor’s effort to delay the in-person vote.
They did so wearing masks and gloves, hoping to fend off the coronavirus.
They did so despite seriously ugly weather in many parts of the state.
“Across the state, in schools, churches and town halls, poll workers risked their health to make sure democracy worked. Members of the National Guard also pitched in,” reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In Milwaukee, where there would normally be 180+ polling stations, only five were open because so many workers stayed home, fearful of the virus. In Green Bay, there were only two polling sites instead of the usual 31.
“We decided to risk our lives to come vote,” Ellie Bradish told the Washington Post as she waited in line in Milwaukee. “I feel like I’m voting for my neighbors, all the people who don’t have the luxury to wait this long.”
Overburdened poll workers in masks and rubber gloves spent much of their time cleaning potentially contaminated surfaces while keeping the lines moving as best they could.
Wisconsin is a key battleground state in the November election, and it will remain in the political spotlight: Milwaukee hosts the Democratic National Convention Aug. 17-20.
“I am overwhelmed by the bravery, resilience, and heroism of those who are defending our democracy by showing up to vote, working the polls, and reporting on this election,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement.
For all the effort, the results won’t be known for days. Votes won’t be counted until Monday — “another twist in the latest chapter in this only-in-Wisconsin political story,” says the Journal Sentinel.
Many voters were furious, saying they had to go to the polls in person after requesting absentee ballots that never came. Many others stayed home, fearing the pandemic.
“No one should have to choose between risking their health and possibly dying and going to vote,” Marcelia Nicholson, a county supervisor for Milwaukee, told the New York Times.
Voters cast ballots in thousands of local elections, as well as in the race between former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for the Democratic presidential nomination. (On Wednesday, Sanders ended his campaign.)
At the center of what the Post called a day of “confusion and partisan rancor” was a state supreme court race pitting a conservative justice endorsed by President Trump against a liberal challenger.
The court had cleared the way for the in-person balloting in a decision late Monday, making Wisconsin the only state in the country to hold a presidential primary this month.
