Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said Wednesday that she expects litigation will challenge the expected shortening of the early vote period in Wisconsin after GOP lawmakers in the state also passed legislation stripping the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general of powers.
The Wisconsin Democratic senator told reporters Wednesday that the move by the state assembly and senate was a “very disrespectful act” nearly a month after Republican Gov. Scott Walker was spurned in his bid for a third term in favor of Democrat Tony Evers, the incoming governor.
“These sort of actions to restrict access to the polls, to interfere with our fight for protecting people with pre-existing conditions, is very disrespectful to the voters of the state,” Baldwin said.
“Especially with their actions on early voting, those are challengeable in court,” Baldwin said, noting that a federal court threw out similar changes to early voting in 2016. “I would anticipate [litigation], yes. But mainly, I just feel like this is a very disrespectful act to the voters of Wisconsin.”
Walker has indicated that he plans to sign the legislation, which hands power on multiple issues from the governor to the GOP-controlled legislature, including control of litigation that would allow the state to continue challenging the Affordable Care Act.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., backed the GOP push, telling reporters that Democratic claims that lawmakers in the state are using the legislation as a power grab are “overblown.”
Johnson said he was particularly pleased by part of the legislation that lowered the state’s income tax next year by $60 million.
Wisconsin lawmakers worked throughout the night Tuesday into Wednesday to pass the legislation. Walker has until Jan. 7 to sign the legislation before he hands power over to Evers.
