Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes tore into Republicans on Tuesday for forcing voters to risk their lives to vote – all so they could steal a state Supreme Court seat in a low turnout election.
During an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Lt. Gov. Barnes said, “They immediately appealed to the Supreme Court to … keep this date in place so that a low turnout would benefit the Donald Trump-endorsed Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly.”
“It’s unfortunate, because they’re playing politics with people’s lives,” he added.
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Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes slams Republicans for using a global pandemic to try to win a Supreme Court seat. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/in7UwiGLQL
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) April 8, 2020
Lt. Gov. Barnes said:
We got to this point through a long trend of voter suppression that’s been going on in this state and across the country. Unfortunately, they saw an opportunity, our speaker, our majority leader, our conservative – or you can just say Republican-controlled – Supreme Court in the state of Wisconsin. And they saw an opportunity to suppress the vote here with coronavirus fears, which Gov. Evers issued an executive order to delay this election. And they immediately appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn that decision, to keep this date in place so that a low turnout would benefit the Donald Trump-endorsed Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly. And it’s unfortunate, because they’re playing politics with people’s lives, as she said. And as the reporter on the ground stated, there was torrential downpour and hail, so people were battling hail and high water to cast a ballot, also while this coronavirus epidemic is taking place.
The GOP took advantage of a pandemic to steal a Supreme Court seat
All across the country, including in Wisconsin, residents are being told to shelter in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. As part of that effort, the state’s governor, Tony Evers, sought to delay the election and take steps to ensure folks in his state could still cast a ballot.
Republicans were having none of it, and on Tuesday they forced voters to risk their lives to cast a ballot, knowing full well that many Wisconsinites wouldn’t participate out of fear of contracting the coronavirus.
The GOP took advantage of a deadly pandemic because they knew a low turnout election would give them the best chance to win a Supreme Court seat.
It is shameful, even for the low standards Republicans have set for themselves.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.