Here & Now

Glenn Grothman Discusses Elections Bills

Frederica Freyberg:

A very busy week in the state senate with a theme, a package of elections-related bills passed by a razor-thin one vote margin. The measures include a law that would allow election observers to stand as close as three feet to the voter. That, rather than a separate designated observation area as is now the case.

Another bill would allow poll workers to come from within the county rather than just from their municipality or ward.

Under another new bill, lobbyists could donate to campaigns much earlier, April 15th, than the current first donation date of June 1st.

But perhaps the most controversial was the bill that would do away with early voting on weekends and restrict voting during the two weeks leading up to an election to between the hours of 8:00 in the morning and 7:00 at night. The author of that bill is Republican senator, Glenn Grothman, who joins us now. Thanks for doing so.

Glenn Grothman:

Glad to be here.

Frederica Freyberg:

Well, why shorten the time people can vote early?

Glenn Grothman:

Well, the important thing is to have the same rules all around the state. And if you have a statewide election, be it for supreme court, governor, whatever, it seems fair that the rules in Milwaukee be the same as the rules in Oshkosh, be the same as the rules in Lake Mills. Right now, Milwaukee, and something that I think surprised us all, because it was not something we anticipated when we changed the absentee voting laws in the 1990’s, they decided to hold elections on weekends. Well, there are small townships that don’t even have full-time employees. They may have in-person absentee voting for five or six hours a week. Obviously, it’s ridiculous if the city of Milwaukee is having in-person absentee voting for 60 or 70 hours a week and some towns have only it five or six hours a week.

Frederica Freyberg:

But couldn’t the argument be made that there are a lot more people that want to vote in Milwaukee than there might be in Lake Mills? Not that everyone in Lake Mills doesn't want to cast a ballot, but there are fewer people for those clerks, etc. to have to accommodate?

Glenn Grothman:

I don’t think so. I mean, a few years ago we standardized voting hours on election day. We told the towns, you have to open up your polling place at 7:00, and the idea that everybody has to get to the polls between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on election day is now accepted. I don’t know why we would have different rules for early voting but same rules for voting on the day of the election.

Frederica Freyberg:

What do you say to critics who call this measure racist, because you’re restricting potential votes in urban areas where most of the people who avail themselves of earlier weekend voting are minorities?

Glenn Grothman:

Well, this is one more example of, I think, screaming racism where obviously none exists. I mean, why, if somebody who lives in Lake Mills, which probably has a very small minority population, why if they seem to have no problem voting and do we say that, apparently, primarily minority voters, although there are certainly many non-minority voters in Milwaukee County, why do we say they have a harder time getting to the polls? It really makes no sense. Actually, they would probably have an easier time, because in Milwaukee you at least have public transit which you can always take advantage of. In a lot of rural areas there's not even that.

Frederica Freyberg:

There is just a much bigger population. What can you tell me about a little bit I read yesterday about you voting early, taking advantage of absentee voting, the last seven times you voted?

Glenn Grothman:

And I've never– Not the last seven times I voted, but occasionally I go in early. And when I do I have no problem, despite my busy schedule, getting to the West Bend city hall and voting during normal office hours, which is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. I would never expect the city of West Bend to pay extra people so I could early vote until 7:00 at night. And you’ve got to remember I could always absentee vote by mail if I wanted to.

Frederica Freyberg:

Why shouldn’t people assume this legislation isn’t about trying to put a dent in urban votes, Democratic votes coming into November’s election?

Glenn Grothman:

I don’t know why anybody would think that. I mean, does anybody really have a good reason why, in a statewide election in which everybody’s vote counts the same, we would have different rules in Lake Mills and Milwaukee or townships that maybe only have a population of 500 people? That’s absurd. I will tell you, I was here when we changed the absentee voting laws in the late ’90s. Nobody at the time, as far as I know, Republican or Democrat, would have dreamed that people would wind up keeping their clerks' offices open on the weekends.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. Senator Glenn Grothman, we’ll leave it there. Thanks very much.

Glenn Grothman:

Glad to be on the show.