Dr. David B. Allen: Robin Vos and his allies should be ready to answer this question
On April 7, the Republican-led Wisconsin Legislature confronted the state’s citizens with a stark Election Day choice: either violate Gov. Evers’ “safer at home” public health order, risking exposure to and spread of the COVID-19 virus, or relinquish the right to vote. Refusing to be denied their say, hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin residents ventured out, stood in line for hours, and voted while the National Guard rescue poll monitors looked on.
In the days that followed, Wisconsin was ridiculed for devolving from a one-time paradigm of democracy to a paradigm of partisan politics at any price, including its citizens’ health. Our state’s entrenched gerrymandering allows majority sentiment favoring Evers’ postponement to protect the public’s health to be ignored at no cost. And when invulnerability fosters insensitivity, a politician shows up at a polling place fully encased in pandemic battle gear, and exhorts anxious voters shielded by homemade face masks to come on in because it’s perfectly safe to vote — a scene that would be comical if it weren’t so seriously misguided and consequential.
The national press has focused on Wisconsin’s primary election debacle as a “canary in the coal mine” for November. Will in-person voting be safe in the fall? If not, will we all be able to vote by mail? Or will everybody have to make the “Wisconsin choice” between being healthy or being heard? Sadly, those who forced the Wisconsin spring election to happen are counting on us to turn our attention forward, calculating that the power gained by disrupting voting is well worth the wrath that will fade with short-term political memories.
But this time might be very different — because what’s at stake today is citizens’ mortality, not just memories. For COVID-19, the time between coming in contact with the virus and start of symptoms is 2-14 days with 97% becoming ill by 11.5 days. Most Wisconsinites heading to polls last Tuesday were abiding by “safer at home” guidelines with the exception of Election Day, so those who become ill now or during the next week will at least wonder, if not justifiably believe that their exposure to COVID-19 occurred because they ventured out to vote on April 7.
Read more: https://madison.com/ct/opinion/column/dr-david-b-allen-robin-vos-and-his-allies-should-be-ready-to-answer-this/article_c3be43f0-deda-517b-b5c3-cd72b5347f53.html
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it should be hoped that there is no increase of those stricken by the COVID-19 - especially after braving the risk of exposure just to keep their right to vote.
What SHOULD also be hoped is that all of those foolish, disgusting, ignorant politicians who fought against safe voting will indeed be looking for new jobs come November.
THANK YOU, WISCONSIN, for showing what true AMERICANS can do! 