Supreme Court Denies Wisconsin Residents Basic Right to Vote

WASHINGTON, DC, April 6, 2020 – Following Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ attempt to push back tomorrow’s election to protect the health of his constituents, the state Supreme Court overruled his order, requiring the election to take place Tuesday and risking the lives of thousands of the state’s citizens because of the coronavirus pandemic. Subsequently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against an attempt to extend the time Wisconsin voters could return their absentee ballots, essentially denying the vote to hundreds of thousands who had not yet even received those ballots.

Alliance for Justice Action Campaign President Nan Aron released the following statement:

“Republicans have exploited a global health pandemic to deny Wisconsites’ basic access to democracy. Republicans can no longer hide their intent to suppress the vote. From Republican state lawmakers, to the Republican-controlled State Supreme Court, to the Republican-controlled U.S. Supreme Court, we saw an unabashed willingness to force people to choose between protecting their health or exercising a core constitutional right. Through no fault of their own, untold thousands will have no opportunity to cast their vote — all because Republicans believe they stand to benefit from poor turnout. Today’s unprecedented events just go to show how fragile the simple right to vote can be and how important it is to support fair-minded jurists like Jill Karofsky.”

AFJ Action Campaign recently launched a five-figure ad campaign supporting Jill Karofsky for justice as part of its new State Courts Matter initiative. Read more about why state courts matter here.