BUSY WEEK.
THE REPUBLICAN-HELD LEGISLATURE
PASSED A SLATE OF BILLS DEALING
WITH ELECTION LAWS AND MEASURES
AROUND POLICING.
AND THIS AFTERNOON THE STATE
SUPREME COURT WEIGHED IN ON
REDISTRICTING.
WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO CAPITOL
REPORTER LAUREL WHITE TAKES US
THROUGH IT NOW.
VERY NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> SO TODAY'S MUCH-ANTICIPATED
ORDER FROM THE HIGH COURT
REPRESENTS A DEFEAT FOR
REPUBLICANS IN THE DRAWING OF
POLITICAL MAPS.
WHY?
WHAT HAPPENED?
>> BASICALLY WHAT REPUBLICANS
WERE ASKING FOR HERE -- AND THIS
IS A FORMER REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY
SPEAKER AND THE WISCONSIN
INSTITUTE FOR LAW AND LIBERTY,
WHICH IS A CONSERVATIVE GROUP.
THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A RULE
CHANGE ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO GET
LAWSUITS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH
WISCONSIN'S LEGISLATIVE MAPS TO
START OUT AUTOMATICALLY,
IMMEDIATELY SORT OF BY DEFAULT
WITH THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT
INSTEAD OF A LOWER COURT OR A
FEDERAL COURT.
AND BASICALLY THAT'S JUST KIND
OF SPEEDING UP THE PROCESS AND
GETTING THE STATE SUPREME COURT
TO RULE ON THESE MAPS, WHICH ARE
EXPECTED TO BE CONTROVERSIAL.
>> AND DEMS HAVE CALLED THIS A
GOOD THING.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
DEMOCRATS THINK IT'S MORE
APPROPRIATE FOR THE LOWER COURTS
TO BE ABLE TO WEIGH IN, FOR
FEDERAL COURTS TO BE A PART OF
THIS.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO
REMEMBER THAT THESE MAPS ARE
EXPECTED TO END UP IN COURT
BECAUSE OF THE SPLIT BETWEEN THE
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE AND THE
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR.
HE'S UNLIKELY TO SIGN WHAT
REPUBLICANS DRAW.
SO WE'RE KIND OF GEARING UP FOR
THAT LEGAL BATTLE WE'RE
EXPECTING IN THE NEXT SEVERAL
MONTHS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SO AS TO LEGISLATIVE SESSION
BUSINESS THIS WEEK, LET'S TALK
ABOUT THOSE ELECTION LAW BILLS,
WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT
GOVERNOR EVERS IS MOST LIKELY TO
VETO THEM.
BUT ONE WOULD RESTRICT PRIVATE
FUNDS FOR ADMINISTRATION OF
ELECTIONS.
SO WHAT'S AN EXAMPLE IN
WISCONSIN FROM THE 2020 ELECTION
THAT PROMPTED THAT BILL?
>> WELL, WISCONSIN ACTUALLY GOT
QUITE A FEW PRIVATE GRANTS FOR
THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
THE FIVE LARGEST CITIES IN THE
STATE GOT PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL
GRANTS FROM AN ORGANIZATION
CALLED THE CENTER FOR TECH AND
CIVIC LIFE.
THAT'S A GROUP THAT'S FUNDED BY
MARK ZUCKERBERG AND HIS WIFE
PRISCILLA CHAN.
WHAT REPUBLICANS ARE PUSHING FOR
HERE IS EITHER A LIMITATION ON
THOSE FUNDS OR AN ENTIRE
ELIMINATION OF THE GRANT FUNDS
BECAUSE THEY SAY THAT IT GETS
THESE PRIVATE GROUPS INVOLVED IN
A WAY THEY SHOULDN'T BE
INVOLVED, GIVES THEM TOO MUCH
SAY IN SOME KIND OF ELECTION
ADMINISTRATION PROCESSES.
SO THIS IS A PRETTY HIGH-PROFILE
BILL THAT HAS TO DO WITH
ELECTIONS.
>> REPUBLICANS ALSO WANT TO
RESTRICT COLLECTION OF AB TEN
SEE BALLOTS.
THIS IS AROUND HOW MADISON
ALLOWED THE COLLECTION OF
BALLOTS?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
MADISON HAD A FEW EVENTS IN THE
FALL, SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER,
WHERE PEOPLE WERE ALLOWED TO
RETURN ABSENTEE BALLOTS TO PARK
LOCATIONS AROUND THE CITY, AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO RETURN
BALLOTS WITHOUT HAVING TO PUT
THEM IN THE MAIL OR DRIVE THEM
TO THEIR CLERK'S OFFICE.
PEOPLE COULD ALSO GET A WITNESS
SIGNATURE FOR AN ABSENTEE BALLOT
IF THEY NEEDED A WITNESS FOR
THEIR BALLOT.
AND REPUBLICANS THOUGHT THAT
THIS WAS INAPPROPRIATE.
THEY DIDN'T THINK THAT IT WAS
SECURE ENOUGH TO HAVE THESE KIND
OF PARK-BASED EVENTS AWAY FROM
CLERKS' OFFICES AND SO THEY WANT
TO JUST RESTRICT WHERE EVENTS
CAN BE LOCATED AND WHEN THEY CAN
BE HELD.
>> NOW, ANOTHER BILL WOULD BAN
CLERKS FROM FILLING IN MISSING
INFORMATION ON ABSENTEE BALLOTS.
HOW IS THIS A CHANGE FROM
CURRENT LAW?
>> WELL, THIS IS A REALLY
INTERESTING BILL.
KIND OF THE BIGGEST THING HERE
IS THAT THEY ARE PUTTING IT INTO
STATE LAW.
AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE POLICIES
REGARDING CLERKS ADDING
INFORMATION TO BALLOTS -- AND
THIS IS SOMETHING LIKE A MISSING
ADDRESS FOR A WITNESS ON AN
ABSENTEE BALLOT, THINGS LIKE
THAT.
AND THEY GET THAT INFORMATION
FROM OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS.
AND AS OF RIGHT NOW, THEIR
ABILITY TO DO THAT IS GOVERNED
BY STATE ELECTIONS COMMISSION
GUIDANCE, NOT STATE LAW.
SO REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS THAT ARE
BACKING THIS BILL SAY, YOU KNOW,
PEOPLE WERE KIND OF CONCERNED
ABOUT THIS PRACTICE AND WE FEEL
LIKE IT SHOULD BE WRITTEN INTO
LAW AND NOT JUST BE GUIDANCE
COMING FROM AN AGENCY.
>> SO THE PASSAGE OF THESE WAS
ALONG PARTY-LINE VOTES.
ARE REPUBLICANS MAINTAINING
CHANGES ARE NEEDED BECAUSE OF
ELECTION FRAUD?
>> SO THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A VERY
BIG CONVERSATION ABOUT FRAUD.
THE KIND OF PRIMARY LINE FROM
REPUBLICANS ABOUT THESE
PROPOSALS IS MORE ABOUT ELECTION
INTEGRITY AND PEOPLE'S FAITH IN
THE ELECTORAL PROCESS.
SO THEY SAY THIS ISN'T
NECESSARILY SAYING THERE WAS
FRAUD OR POINTING TO SPECIFIC
FRAUD.
IT'S US SAYING PEOPLE HAVE
VOICED CONCERNS, CONTACTED US,
AND WE NEED TO DO THINGS TO MAKE
THE PROCESS MORE CONCRETE, MORE
SET IN STATE LAW THAT'S GOING TO
MAKE PEOPLE FEEL MORE
COMFORTABLE.
>> AS TO POLICING BILL,
COMPOSITION OF POLICE AND FIRE
COMMISSIONS, DATA COLLECTION AND
TRANSPARENCY AROUND USE OF
FORCE.
HOW DO THESE MEASURES DOVETAIL
WITH THE WORK OF THE SPEAKER'S
TASK FORCE ON RACIAL
DISPARITIES, WHICH IS ALSO
DEALING WITH POLICE PRACTICES?
>> PRETTY DIRECTLY.
SO THESE ARE THE FIRST VOTES
THAT WE'VE SEEN ON POLICE REFORM
IN WISCONSIN.
IT'S TAKEN A LOT LONGER THAN
SOME FOLKS WANTED TO GET VOTES
ON THESE BILLS.
AND A LOT OF THESE PROPOSALS ARE
DIRECT RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS
TASK FORCE.
THEY TALKED ABOUT THINGS LIKE
USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS BEING
RECORDED, HAVING POLICE
PERSONNEL RECORDS BE MORE
AVAILABLE IF AN OFFICER IS GOING
TO BE HIRED BY ANOTHER AGENCY.
I THINK IT'S REALLY INTERESTING
TO NOTE THAT THERE WERE VOTES ON
A NUMBER OF THESE BILLS IN THE
SENATE THIS WEEK, BUT A LOT OF
THE HIGH-PROFILE BILLS, BILLS ON
THINGS LIKE CHOKEHOLDS OR
NO-KNOCK WARRANTS.
THOSE HAVEN'T SEEN VOTES ON THE
FLOOR YET.
<!32768> LAUREL WHITE, THAN