Voces de la Frontera on Monday joined 41 other human rights, civil rights and other advocacy groups in calling for major changes in Wisconsin’s voting procedures, to avoid the kinds of problems that undermined the April 7 election.
The proposed changes would make it significantly easier for the Latinx population to register and vote.
Among other things, the group wants a ballot to be mailed to every registered voter 30 days before any election, a minimum number of voting sites to be available and full access to elections materials in Spanish.
These are the complete proposals in the April 13, 2000 letter::
- For citizens for whom English is a second language they should have access to language assistance for voting. This should include access to ballots and elections materials in multiple languages, in addition to English and Spanish.
- Mail a ballot to all registered voters; automatically before each election. Ideally 30 days before the election date. Voters should not be required to have a witness or provide proof of an ID to request or return their ballot.
- Allow voters to return ballots multiple ways: through the mail, the use of secure drop boxes, and by dropping it off at polling locations on the day of the election.
- Every municipality should have a minimum number of polling locations within their community based on the size of the population, located in areas that can serve all populations in the municipality and allow voters to register and vote quickly and efficiently if they choose to vote in person on election day.
- Every municipality should offer in-person access to early voting and voter registration in a way that proves to be safe and secure, as well as ballot drop boxes for several weeks before Election Day.
- Voter registration should be as easy as possible through automatic voter registration in schools or at the DMV. Voters should also be able to register in person on Election Day and during early voting periods.
- The Wisconsin Election Commission should fund public education efforts to ensure that all citizens are aware of how our voting process works and how they can participate.
The organizations signing on are:
ACLU of Wisconsin
African American Roundtable
Black and Brown Womyn Power Coalition, Inc.
Black Lives Matter to Wisconsin Unitarian Universalists
Building Unity
CAP Services, Inc.
Chippewa Valley Votes
Cia Siab, Inc.
Citizen Action of Wisconsin
EXPO (Ex Incarcerated People Organizing)
Freedom, Inc.
Hmong American Women’s Association, Inc.
Layton Boulevard West Neighbors (LBWN)
League of United Latin American Citizens Council 346
League of Women Voters of Wisconsin
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, Inc
MICAH (Milwaukee Innercity Congregations Allied for Hope)
Midwest Environmental Advocates
Milwaukee County Human Rights Commission
MIRACLE Mental Health
Milwaukee Turners
National Lawyers Guild, Milwaukee Chapter
9to5, National Association of Working Women – WI
Oregon (WI) Area Progressives
Parents for Public Schools – MKE
Progressive Baptist Church
Represent Us Wisconsin
Rid Racism Milwaukee
Schools and Communities United
SOPHIA
Souls to the Polls
UMOS
Voces de la Frontera
Wisconsin Voices
WAVE Educational Fund
WISDOM
Wisconsin Conservation Voices
Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES)
Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Wisconsin Network for Peace, Justice & Sustainability
YWCA Southeast Wisconsin