Legislative Democrats in Wisconsin say they’re willing to count absentee ballots before Election Day, but they are calling the rest of the Republican’s proposed election reforms “poison.”
State Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, told reporters at the Capitol that Democrats will be a ‘No’ vote on the latest proposal to regulate ballot dropboxes.
“Many of the issues raised in this bill around drop boxes and witness addresses have been the subject of both litigation and vetoed Republican legislation in recent years, and their inclusion in this bill is a bald-faced attempt to hold Monday processing hostage in exchange for consideration of ideas that would never get Democratic support on their own merits,” Spreitzer said. “This bill makes it harder, and it is part of a Republican election package that includes other bills that make voting harder, make voting less private, make legitimate votes less likely to be counted, and make election results less likely to be accurately tallied. Wisconsinites deserve better than these political game.”
Republican Rep. Scott Krug, R-Rome, last week introduced legislation to both count absentee ballots early, and require 24/7 surveillance for ballot dropboxes along with other security steps.
Spreitzer said Democrats want to count absentee ballots early. (RELATED: Politics on Display: Middleton High Assignment Brands Students ‘Nazis’)
“Monday processing, while a very good idea, has never been about improving access for voters. It has primarily been about two things: increasing options for our clerks and election officials to efficiently do their job, and delivering the general public with election results earlier on election night,” he explained.
But he said the other parts of the legislation are “poison pills” designed to please hard line Republicans in the State Senate.
“Rep. Krug continues down the path of Republicans proposing unreasonable trade-offs in an attempt to appease the most extreme members of their party,” Spreitzer added.
The Assembly approved Krug’s early count plan last time, but it failed in the Senate. He’s hoping for better luck this time around. (RELATED: Wisconsin Democrats Kick Off 2026 Gubernatorial Efforts with ‘Readiness Project’)
This article was originally published by The MacIver Institute.
