Wisconsin Republicans refused to delay an election during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, as those same Republicans are suing state health officials to force an end to a stay-at-home order, the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 after voting in person or working at the polls has grown to 19.
While some of those 19 people had other possible exposures to the virus, they’re probably not the end of the story. Milwaukee’s city health commissioner told NBC News: “As of now, we only have 30% of the data as far as any new COVID-19 cases that were associated with the date of the 7th of April, which is when the election was held." Milwaukee has found seven people who may have been exposed through the in-person election.
Milwaukee, where the population is nearly 40% Black, had to close all but five of its 180 polling places due to the pandemic, while nearby Dane County, which is overwhelmingly white, was able to open 66 of 92 polling places and has not seen any cases of coronavirus associated with in-person voting.
Wisconsin Republicans, meanwhile, are delaying their state convention. They cite the logistical challenges of planning the convention for mid-May when the shutdown may still be in effect—or may not, if their lawsuit succeeds—but … come on, guys.