The Sconi

A Senate bill meant to address absentee ballots failed in a Senate committee earlier this month and is now in the Senate Organization committee.

Senate Bill 206 would have penalized those who fraudulently allege they are indefinitely confined, and states that a communicable disease (such as COVID-19) does not qualify a voter to be classified as indefinitely confined. On June 3, the bill failed in the Committee on Elections, Election Process Reform and Ethics on a 3-2 vote. State Sen. Kathy Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls), the Republican chair of the committee, sided with the Democrats.

Senate Bill 206 also would have changed the current law that automatically sends a ballot to a confined voter with no ID verification required. The legislation would have required confined voters to sign a statement under oath that they are unable to physically vote in person, with an accompanying signature by a medical professional if they are older than 65. An indefinite confinement status classification under the law expires after two years unless the voter submits a renewal application.

Mark Musselman | Facebook

Poll watcher Mark Musselman is supportive of legislation in the Wisconsin Senate that would restrict the automatic mailing out of absentee ballots, as well as other election reforms recently pushed by Republican lawmakers.

“For years, I’ve seen the other side break the law and there have been no consequences for their actions,” Musselman of New Berlin told The Sconi. “And for years no one took any action to stop them.”

Musselman, who has worked as a poll watcher in Milwaukee and surrounding communities for the past 10 years, said another needed change is enforcing the law that poll watchers need to be close enough to not only see what’s going on but to hear what’s going on.

“The law says we need to be 3 to 8 feet from registration tables and other activities,” Musselman said. “Milwaukee, especially, consistently keeps violating the law.”

Musselman also wants to see the enforcement of the illegality of early in-person absentee voting, which he said occurred with Democracy in the Park events in late September and early October of 2020. Republicans alleged the events violated election laws covering early voting and the harvesting of ballots (ballot collection by a third party). One lawsuit challenging the action ended with no decision. Another by the Trump campaign is pending.

Musselman also supports a ban on election officials completing ballot applications, and the purging of obsolete names from voter rolls.

“People have to contact and put pressure on their lawmakers and not be afraid of being called racist because you support enhanced security measures surrounding voting,” he said.

According to the Honest Elections Project, 66% of voters support increasing protections on absentee voting, including a voter ID requirement to vote absentee.