Disabled voters say Republican efforts in Wisconsin Legislature will make it harder for them to cast ballots

MADISON - Wisconsinites with disabilities lashed out Wednesday at Republican lawmakers for passing bills that they said would make it harder for them to vote.

“This is a form of bullying and it’s absolutely unacceptable,” said Melanie Ramey of Madison, who faces challenges with voting because she is visually impaired by macular degeneration.

“They should be ashamed of themselves for trying to have bills and trying to pass legislation that seeks to disenfranchise some of Wisconsin’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Ramey was one of four people with disabilities who spoke out against the legislation in a virtual news conference hosted by Disability Rights Wisconsin. They directed most of their ire at Senate Bill 203, which would limit who can return absentee ballots for others.

They also criticized Senate Bill 212, which would bar election officials from filling in the addresses of witnesses on absentee ballot envelopes if they were missing. Ballots can’t be counted if that information is missing.

Clerks could return absentee ballots for voters so they could fix the error, but by then there might not be enough time to get the ballots back to clerks so they could be counted, Ramey said.

“It could clearly disenfranchise you over some minor, minor issue,” she said.

Republicans in the Senate approved the two bills on Tuesday. The Republican-controlled Assembly is expected to take them up soon, but Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has signaled he would veto them if they got to him.

Republicans have contended the measures are essential and have said they want to prevent groups from gathering absentee ballots on a large scale. That hasn’t happened in Wisconsin, but a Republican ballot-collection scheme in North Carolina in 2018 led to the invalidation of a congressional election and criminal charges.

“Republicans are serious about restoring faith and trust in our elections,” said a statement from Republican state Sen. Duey Stroebel of Saukville, the lead sponsor of the absentee voting legislation.

Stroebel said his absentee voting bill would put Wisconsin in line with the majority of states that have rules on who can return absentee ballots. He noted his legislation would keep in place laws allowing disabled people to vote curbside and all voters to return absentee ballots by mail.

"So-called ‘ballot harvesting’ should never be allowed regardless of the political party doing it," he said in his statement.

Despite the likely vetoes, the advocates for people with disabilities said they were fighting the bills to try to prevent them from re-appearing in the future. They noted such legislation could be approved if Republicans control all of state government after next year’s election for governor.

“If my voting rights can be jeopardized, what next?” said Stephanie Birmingham of Sturgeon Bay.

Birmingham, who uses a wheelchair because of a bone condition, said voting in person is difficult for her. Those with disabilities need options for returning absentee ballots because the same person may not be available to assist them at every election, she said.

Senate Bill 203 would allow voters to return absentee ballots in person, by mail or by giving the ballot to a family member, guardian or someone they designate in writing, provided that person is registered to vote in Wisconsin. Someone who returned a ballot without following those rules could be convicted of a felony.

Andy Thain of Thorp, who has cerebral palsy, says he doesn’t know who will be available to help him with voting until close to an election because care workers often leave the field.

“I very rarely have the same staff person from election to election because of the high turnover,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a friend that helps. Sometimes it’s a family member.”

“In order for it to work, I need as much flexibility as I can get, and this seems to be targeted at removing the flexibility, so that concerns me."

Ramsey Lee of Hudson made a similar point. Lee, who has cerebral palsy, said his parents assist him with voting, but they are aging. 

"If something happens to them, then my ability to vote will be greatly impacted," he said.

Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.