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Debate in Wisconsin over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
These pages were updated from March 2020 through June 2020 and do not contain the latest commentary available. To submit arguments for inclusion on this page, email editor@ballotpedia.org. To learn how Ballotpedia decides which arguments to feature, click here.
Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. In addition to monitoring federal, state, and local responses to the coronavirus, we are also capturing the nationwide and local debates on whether to extend or lift coronavirus-related restrictions affecting the economy, schools, government operations, public health, religious services, and travel.
These arguments come from a variety of sources, including public officials, journalists, think tanks, economists, scientists, and other stakeholders. We encourage you to share the debates happening in your local community to editor@ballotpedia.org.
This article covers the debate over continuing restrictions and closures in Wisconsin in response to the coronavirus pandemic. You will find the following:
- Debate over the safer-at-home order
- Debate over school closures
- Debate over religious service restrictions
- Debate over election policy
- Links to coverage of responses to the coronavirus in Wisconsin
Debate over safer-at-home order in Wisconsin
This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on the stay-at-home order in Wisconsin.
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Republican Lawsuit against Tony Evers' (D) administration (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel): Republican legislative leaders filed a lawsuit against Governor Tony Evers' that said his administration lacked the authority to keep the economy shut down without legislative approval.
"If a single bureaucrat can evade the controls and accountability measures that the Legislature has enacted to control agency overreach simply by labeling what is obviously an emergency rule a mere 'order,' then all of the reforms that the Legislature has put in place, and which this Court has interpreted and enforced over the years, are a meaningless, dead letter — in their most consequential application." - "GOP lawmakers ask Supreme Court to block Tony Evers' order to stay home," April 21, 2020.
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Governor Tony Evers (D) (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel): In response to the lawsuit against his administration's safer-at-home order, Governor Tony Evers said Republicans in the legislature were putting political power ahead of public safety.
"This is an extraordinary day unlike any other, frankly, I've ever witnessed as governor or even before I was governor. This is a power grab by the Legislative Republicans who are telling 4,600 plus in the state of Wisconsin who have contracted COVID-19 and the families of the 242 people who have died, we don’t care about you — we care about our political power." - "GOP lawmakers ask Supreme Court to block Tony Evers' order to stay home," April 21, 2020.
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Governor Tony Evers (D) (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): Governor Tony Evers extended Wisconsin's safer-at-home order and said that more testing was necessary before the state could be opened safely.
"Folks are scared and they need to know who they can trust. They should trust science. They should trust our public health experts. And they should be able to trust their elected officials to make the best possible decisions based on science and facts." - "Assembly Speaker Robin Vos threatens lawsuit over stay-at-home order as partisan divide widens over COVID-19," April 17, 2020.
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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the Evers administration lacked the authority to extend the stay at home order. He said the action would damage the economy and small businesses.
"Where in the statutes does it allow the government and especially the people at WEDC or the people at DHS to pick and choose how businesses operate? That is not part of an order to contain a spread. You cannot say it’s legal for you to buy flowers at a Walmart but it’s not legal for you to buy flowers at a flower shop" - "Assembly Speaker Robin Vos threatens lawsuit over stay-at-home order as partisan divide widens over COVID-19," April 17, 2020.
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Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway (D) (NBC 15): "I agree with Governor Evers and health care experts around the county. It’s not about the date, it’s about the data. Until we have all the elements in place for a safe reopening, we absolutely need to continue the “Safer at Home” policy," - "Madison Mayor supports 'Badger Bounce Back' plan to reopen Wisconsin," April 21, 2020.
"In Wisconsin, protesters attack stay-at-home orders as unnecessary — or a government cabal" - The Washington Post, April 25, 2020
"Wisconsin Supreme Court justice questions whether stay-at-home orders are 'definition of tyranny'" - The Hill, May 5, 2020
"Wisconsin state Supreme Court hears GOP lawmakers’ challenge to stay-at-home order" - The Washington Post, May 5, 2020
Additional reading
Debate over school closures in Wisconsin
This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on school closures in Wisconsin.
We have not yet identified any statements related to this topic or state. To suggest a statement, email us.
Debate over religious service restrictions in Wisconsin
This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on religious service restrictions in Wisconsin.
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Assembly Republican Caucus (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): "It is more important than ever that we allow Wisconsinites to observe their individual faiths. To that end, we ask that you work with Wisconsin churches and temples to allow them to hold Easter or Passover services, even if it's outside." - "Wisconsin governor denies Republicans' request to allow in-person Easter and Passover services during coronavirus pandemic," April 5, 2020.
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Evers (D) Spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): "As a state and as a nation, we are heading into the worst of this public health crisis. The governor understands that for many Wisconsinites their faith is a source of comfort, especially in these difficult times, but in order to protect the health and safety of all Wisconsinites he will not be rolling back the provisions of the Safer at Home order." - "Wisconsin governor denies Republicans' request to allow in-person Easter and Passover services during coronavirus pandemic," April 5, 2020.
Debate over election policy in Wisconsin
This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on election policies in Wisconsin.
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Governor Tony Evers (D) (Reuters): Governor Tony Evers issed an executive order moving the date for in-person voting in the April 7 primary election to June 9. He said the action would help contain the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
"Absent legislative or court action, I cannot in good conscience stand by and do nothing. The bottom line is that I have an obligation to keep people safe, and that's why I signed this executive order today." - "Wisconsin's Supreme Court rules governor can't postpone Tuesday's election," April 6, 2020.
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Chad D. Cotti, Bryan Engelhardt, Joshua Foster, Erik T. Nesson, and Paul S. Niekamp (National Bureau of Economic Research): "We find a statistically and economically significant association between in-person voting and the spread of COVID-19 two to three weeks after the election. Furthermore, we find the consolidation of polling locations, and relatively fewer absentee votes, increased positive testing rates two to three weeks after the election." - "The Relationship between In-Person Voting, Consolidated Polling Locations, and Absentee Voting on Covid-19: Evidence from the Wisconsin Primary," May 1, 2020.
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Kathy Leung, Joseph T. Wu, Kuang Xu, and Lawrence M. Wein (medRxiv): "The lengths of the incubation period and the reporting delay imply that April 7 infections would not be reported until April 17 on average, with most cases being reported during April 11-22. Taken together, there is no evidence to date that there was a surge of infections due to the April 7, 2020 election in Wisconsin, which has a relatively low level of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the US." - "No Detectable Surge in SARS-CoV-2 Transmission due to the April 7, 2020 Wisconsin Election," April 29, 2020.
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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) (Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos): "The safety and health of our citizens have always been our highest concern; that’s why we advocated for everyone to vote absentee. ... We continue to believe that citizens should be able to exercise their right to vote at the polls on Election Day, should they choose to do so." - "Statement: Wisconsin Supreme Court Ruling on April 7 Election," April 6, 2020.
"Wisconsin’s Decision to Have an Election This Month Was Unjust, But Was it Also Unconstitutional? Why the Plaintiffs (Rightly) Lost in the Supreme Court" - Verdict, April 20, 2020
Additional reading
Click the links below for more on responses to the coronavirus pandemic in Wisconsin.
- Changes to election dates and procedures
- Statewide stay-at-home order
- Statewide travel restrictions
- Executive orders
- Officials and candidates diagnosed with or quarantined due to coronavirus
- Enacted legislation
- Legislative session changes
- School closures
- Court closures
- Prison inmate release responses
- Rent, mortgage, eviction, and foreclosure policies
General resources
The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.
Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Education
- World Health Organization
- Trends in Number of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in the US Reported to CDC, by State/Territory
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations, Our World in Data (Number of vaccines administered)
- Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker, New York Times (Progress of vaccine trials)
See also
- Ballotpedia: Political responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
- State government responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
- Government official, politician, and candidate deaths, diagnoses, and quarantines due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021
- Changes to ballot measure campaigns, procedures, and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2022
- Ballotpedia's elections calendar
Footnotes
