NEW: @GovEvers called today for the Wisconsin state legislature to convene a special session & delay WI's election from Tuesday, in person, to May 19, by mail.
@SpeakerVos & @SenFitzgerald just responded: No.
Here’s why they should change course, now.
@SpeakerVos & @SenFitzgerald just responded: No.
Here’s why they should change course, now.
In his video today, @GovEvers laid out how hard he’s been working to make Tuesday’s election safe and successful. Massive undertaking. But the virus has been relentless, and it’s clear that it’s time to shift.
As of today, Wisconsin has 1,912 confirmed COVID cases. The real number, per the state's chief medical officer, could be ten times that. If last 4-day growth rates hold, that means we might have ~25k COVID cases by Tue night—mostly undetected & infectious.
Wisconsin's adult population is 4.4 million. That suggests for every one thousand adults, five will probably have COVID on Tuesday, April 7. Now multiply that by thousands of poll workers and hundreds of thousands of voters.
The GOP has asked “What’s changed?”—and the answer is, two huge things have changed. Far fewer polling places, and far more frightening science on infectiousness.
Most poll workers are senior citizens. Now, so many poll workers have canceled that many polling places have closed. Waukesha went from 13 to 1. Milwaukee went from 180 to 5. That means potentially thousands of voters at each of those locations.
jsonline.com/story/communit…
jsonline.com/story/communit…
Meanwhile, scientists have come to believe that 1 in 4 infectious coronavirus patients has no symptoms, and that 25-40% of China’s spread came from asymptomatic patients.
nytimes.com/2020/03/31/hea…
nytimes.com/2020/03/31/hea…
Not only that, but an increasing number of scientists now think that the virus can be spread simply by breathing in the same space. This is very different from where we used to be, when we were merely told to cough into elbows and not shake hands.
cnn.com/2020/04/02/hea…
cnn.com/2020/04/02/hea…
In Florida’s primary earlier this month, at least three poll workers tested positive for COVID-19. In Duval County, the elections supervisor had to send a letter by mail to the 360 voters who’d been potentially exposed.
news4jax.com/news/local/202…
news4jax.com/news/local/202…
I can't imagine urging people to go vote in person and knowing in the back of your mind that they may receive a letter a few days later telling them that they may have been exposed to coronavirus. (@WisDems is *only* urging people to vote by mail.)
I know @SpeakerVos and @SenFitzgerald have announced that they plan to volunteer as poll workers on Tuesday. Vos has urged others to do the same. But we—they—still have a choice.
In 2016, Wisconsin saw 2.1 million people vote in the spring primary. If the election goes forward as planned and even a fraction of that number show up, we’ll be hosting one of the largest public events in the country this month.
We’ve all seen the stories about individual events that led to massive outbreaks—like the funeral in Albany, Georgia. Let’s not run the risk that the next one turns out to be a Wisconsin voting location.
nytimes.com/2020/03/30/us/…
nytimes.com/2020/03/30/us/…
Republicans and Democrats in Wisconsin often have their differences. This doesn’t have to be one of those times. Let’s come together and do the right thing. @SpeakerVos, @SenFitzgerald, please. Convene a special session, delay this election, and let Wisconsin vote by mail.
