Milwaukee mayor, others urge Evers to hold election by mail

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Voting advocacy groups and the mayor of Wisconsin's largest city on Tuesday urged Gov. Tony Evers to close polling sites and conduct the state's spring election entirely by mail to protect voters and a dwindling pool of election workers from the coronavirus.

Evers has refused calls to postpone the April 7 election in the face of the crisis. The election features the state's presidential primary, a state Supreme Court race and hundreds of races for local office. Most local officials terms expire April 21 and delaying the election could leave those spots vacant, Evers has argued. However, the governor said Monday he was considering conducting the election entirely by mail.

The governor on Tuesday issued an executive order restricting all nonessential travel and mandating all nonessential businesses to close. It's unclear how the order applies to the election. It includes pages of exemptions but doesn't mention elections. Evers' spokeswoman, Melissa Baldauff, didn't immediately respond to email, voice and text messages seeking clarification. Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney also didn't respond to an email.

The order goes into effect at 8 a.m. Wednesday.

A coalition of voting advocacy groups that includes the League of Women Voters' and the American Civil Liberties Union's Wisconsin chapters issued a statement Tuesday calling on Evers to send absentee ballots to every registered voter in the state.

“Absentee voting offers advantages over a traditional polling place, especially now," LWV Wisconsin Executive Director Debra Cronmiller said. "It will keep all of us safer, and help people across the state make their voices heard in this important election.”

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett sent Evers and Republican legislative leaders...