Right now we are faced with a deadly global pandemic which is spreading rapidly, becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Currently, access to testing for COVID-19 is extremely limited and due to the nature of the virus it is nearly impossible to know who may be a carrier. As such the Center for Disease Control has advised people to practice social distancing and to cancel all group events involving 50 people or more for the next eight weeks (source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/mass-gatherings-ready-for-covid-19.html). 

The 2020 Wisconsin primary election is currently scheduled for Tuesday April 7 which is approximately three weeks away. In order to protect the public safety of Wisconsin families and poll workers by preventing the spread of COVID-19 it is of the utmost importance that the Wisconsin primary election be postponed eight weeks to Tuesday May 12  and the absentee ballot request deadline be extended to Thursday May 7. 

This will ensure best practices pertaining to guidelines set by the World Health Organization and the CDC. It will also allow more time for voters, including the most vulnerable of our population - the elderly, the disabled, those with chronic diseases - to either vote safely in person or to vote by mail until the national emergency is lifted and the safety risk to the public is decreased.