On April 6, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D) issued an executive order postponing in-person voting in the spring election, originally scheduled for April 7, to June 9. The order also extended the receipt deadline for absentee ballots to June 9. Evers called on the legislature to convene in a special session at 2:00 p.m. Central on April 7 “to consider and act upon legislation to set a new in-person voting date for the 2020 spring election.”

House Speaker Robin Vos (R) and (R) Senate Majority leader Scott Fitzgerald announced they are challenging Evers’ executive order in the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

On April 3, Evers had issued an executive order calling on the legislature to convene in a special session to consider postponing the spring election. The legislature convened on April 4 and adjourned without taking action on the governor’s proposal.

Last week, a federal judge issued an order extending the absentee ballot request deadline to 5:00 p.m. Central April 3. The ballot return deadline was extended to 4:00 p.m. Central April 13. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed these extensions, a decision which Republicans appealed to the United States Supreme Court of the United States for an emergency stay. As of 1:20 p.m. Central, the high court had yet to rule on the matter.

Additional Reading:
Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020