Wisconsin Republicans Pushing To End Early Voting On The Weekend

Wisconsin Republicans are working to end early voting on the weekend.

On Nov. 14, a measure passed the state assembly that would require county clerks to limit early voting to 40 hours per week, between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the Washington Post.

State Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) is sponsoring a Senate version of the bill, and said anyone who can't find time to vote has "really got a problem," according to a report from MSNBC.

“Between [early voting], mail absentee, and voting the day of election, you know, I mean anybody who can’t vote with all those options, they’ve really got a problem,” Grothman said, according to MSNBC. “I really don’t think they care that much about voting in the first place, right?"

Grothman said the effort is meant to establish "uniformity" among voting locations in large cities, which can often increase early voting hours, and small towns, which may not have enough workers to open on the weekends for early voting.

“We can have some of these ones that are completely out of control, doing maybe 80 hours a week, we can rein them in,” Grothman said.

This isn't the only recent GOP attempt to change elections in the Badger State. The Wisconsin assembly recently voted 53-39 to approve a Republican-sponsored proposed constitutional amendment to restrict recall elections.

Reuters reported earlier:

Under the proposed amendment, elected state officials could be recalled only if they have been charged with a crime punishable by at least one year in prison or if there is probable cause that they have violated the state's code of ethics.

Republicans took majorities in both sides of the Wisconsin legislature and the governor's office in 2010 and Democrats and labor groups targeted several Republican state senators for recall elections to try to return the Senate to Democrats.

[Wisconsin Governor Scott] Walker became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election in 2012 when he defeated Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat, in what amounted to a do-over of their 2010 election. Two other governors were successfully ousted from office through recall.

A similar measure that would require malfeasance in office for an elected local official to be recalled is also working its way through the legislature. That measure only requires approval of lawmakers and the governor.

Walker has also promoted changes to how elections are conducted in Wisconsin, saying in 2012 he thought voting would be "much better" without same-day registration.

For more on the Wisconsin GOP's push to end early voting, go to MSNBC.