Wisconsin governor asks Legislature to delay primary election

[Eugene]

Source: CNN

Wisconsin governor asks Legislature to delay primary election

By Eric Bradner and Kate Sullivan, CNN
Updated 0324 GMT (1124 HKT) April 4, 2020

(CNN) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Friday signed an executive order calling the state Legislature to meet for a special session on Saturday in a last-minute bid to delay the state's primary election.

Evers, a Democrat, is ordering the Legislature to meet at 4 p.m. Central time to take up changes to the election in order to avoid voters having to go to the polls, according to a news release by the governor's office. Evers previously had resisted delaying the primary.

Republican leadership in the Wisconsin State Legislature issued a statement Friday criticizing Evers for reversing his position and said that "the election should continue as planned on Tuesday."

Evers said in the news release and a video posted to Facebook that he is asking the Legislature to allow an all-mail election, to send a ballot to every registered voter who has not already requested one by May 19 and to extend the time that ballots can be received to May 26.

"Folks, I can't move this election or change the rules on my own. My hands are tied," Evers said in the Facebook video. "And that's why I spoke to legislative leaders about this weeks ago. I even publicly called upon them to act. They have made it clear they are unwilling to make changes."

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Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/03/politics/wisconsin-delays-election-results/index.html