TO YOU FROM OUTSIDE THE PBS
WISCONSIN STUDIOS.
ENGINEERS AND SUPPORT STAFF ARE
REMOTELY BRINGING YOU OUR
PICTURE.
OUR INTERVIEW GUESTS WILL APPEAR
VIA VIDEO CONFERENCE.
AND OUR REPORTERS ARE
INGENIOUSLY PRODUCING STORIES
OUT OF THEIR HOMES.
OUR WEB NEWS EDITORS ARE TURNING
ARTICLES FOR ONLINE READING.
WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING OF HOW
"HERE AND NOW" IS WORKING RIGHT
NOW, WE BEGIN WITH A REPORT ON
TUESDAY'S ELECTION FROM WHICH WE
WILL NOT SEE RESULTS UNTIL
MONDAY DUE TO AN EXTENSION FOR
CLERKS TO COUNT ABSENTEE
BALLOTS.
ZAC SCHULTZ REPORTS ON THE
POTENTIAL FALLOUT
FROM OUR SPRING ELECTION.
>> IT JUST MAKES NO SENSE TODAY.
>> NO.
>> WISCONSIN'S 2020 PANDEMIC
ELECTION WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR
MANY THINGS.
>> WE ONLY HAVE FIVE POLLING
PLACES IN THE CITY AND I'VE BEEN
OUT HERE FOR ALMOST TWO HOURS.
>> THERE WERE LONG LINES IN
MILWAUKEE FULL OF VOTERS WEARING
MASKS.
>> YOU ARE INCREDIBLY SAFE TO GO
UP.
>> ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS
WORKED AS A POLL WORKER IN
BURLINGTON.
>> I SIGNED UP FOR AN ABSENTEE
BALLOT TWO WEEKS AGO AND NEVER
GOT THEM.
>> VOTERS WERE ANGRY AT A
SITUATION THAT REQUIRED THEM TO
RISK CONTRACTING THE COVID-19 IN
ORDER TO VOTE.
>> IT WAS TRULY A TRAGEDY.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VOTERS
WERE BASICALLY FORCED TO MAKE A
VERY CRUEL DECISION.
>> RICHARD SAKS FILED SUIT IN
FEDERAL COURT TRYING TO DELAY
THE ELECTION.
JUDGE CONLEY RULED HE DIDN'T
HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO STOP THE
ELECTION, BUT HE DID SAY HE
COULD REVIEW THE RESULTS.
>> HE WAS AMENABLE TO REVIEWING
WHETHER OR NOT WHAT WE WERE TOLD
ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
>> SAKS SAID HE HAS EVIDENCE OF
HUNDREDS, LIKELY THOUSANDS OF
CASES OF VOTER
DISENFRANCHISEMENT WHERE VOTERS
WERE NOT ABLE TO CAST A BALLOT
DUE TO LONG WAIT TIMES OR AN
INABILITY TO GET AN ABSENTEE
BALLOT.
>> THE ISSUE WE WOULD PRESENT TO
HIM WOULD BE VERY SERIOUS
EVIDENCE ABOUT VOTERS WHO WERE
DENIED THE RIGHT TO VOTE AND HOW
THE DENTAL OF THEIR RIGHT TO
VOTE CHANGED THE COURSE OF THIS
ELECTION.
>> MY GUESS IS THERE WILL BE
SOME LITIGATION.
WHEN A GROUP IS UNHAPPY, THEY GO
TO COURT.
>> BARRY BURDEN IS A POLITICAL
SCIENTIST PROFESSOR AT
UW-MADISON.
HE SAID SPRING ELECTIONS CAN BE
VERY DIFFERENT DEPENDING WHAT IS
ON THE BALLOT.
SO IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO PROVE
VOTERS STAYED HOME DUE TO THE
PANDEMIC.
>> DISPARITIES BETWEEN RACIAL
AND ETHIC GROUPS ARE AN
IMPORTANT FACTOR.
BUT IT'S HARD TO DO IN
WISCONSIN.
THE VOTER FILE, DATABASE,
DOESN'T INCLUDE THE RACE OF THE
VOTER.
>> HE SAYS THEY'RE STUDYING
TURNOUT NUMBERS IN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WARDS IN
MILWAUKEE BECAUSE UNDER THE
VOTING RIGHTS ACT, MINORITY
VOTERS HAVE SPECIAL PROTECTIONS.
>> AND IF IN FACT MINORITY
VOTERS AS A GROUP WERE
SUPPORTING A PARTICULAR
CANDIDATE THAT THEY WANTED TO
SEE ELECTED AND THAT CANDIDATE
WASN'T ELECTED BECAUSE THE
REPUBLICAN LEGISLATURE INSISTED
UPON THOSE VOTERS COMING OUT TO
VOTE IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC,
THAT WOULD BE IN MY MIND A VERY
SERIOUS VIOLATION OF ALL THOSE
VOTERS' RIGHT TO VOTE.
>> THE QUESTION THEN IS WHAT
COULD A JUDGE DO TO FIX THE
PROBLEM AFTER THE ELECTION.
>> IN TERMS OF WHAT REMEDY WE'D
BE LOOKING FOR, I'M NOT CERTAIN.
>> I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REMEDY
WOULD BE AT THIS POINT.
IT SEEMS UNLIKELY THAT A JUDGE
WOULD ORDER THAT AN ELECTION IS
RERUN.
>> PROFESSOR BURDEN SAYS ONE
ANSWER IS TO LOOK TO THE NEXT
ELECTION.
>> THERE MAY BE SOME REMEDIES
THAT GET PUT IN PLACE FOR FUTURE
ELECTIONS, MAYBE MANDATES THAT
ARE PLACED ON ELECTION
AUTHORITIES FOR THE
AUGUST PRIMARY OR THE
NOVEMBER ELECTION.
>> SAKS AGREES THIS WON'T BE
LIMITED TO THIS SPRING.
>> WE HAVE TO TAKE A VERY
SERIOUS LOOK THAT THIS COULD BE
SOMEWHAT OF A DRESS REHEARSAL
FOR OBSTACLES IN THE
NOVEMBER ELECTION.
>> REPORTING FROM MADISON, I'M
ZAC SCHULTZ FOR "HERE AND NOW."