This piece is part of our weekly Prime series on voting rights, but it has been moved outside of the paywall while we cover COVID-19.

Wisconsin Primary A Warning Sign For Coronavirus Election Debacles To Come: What was already expected to be a chaotic and potentially dangerous primary election in Wisconsin was taken to the next level with an election-eve intervention by the Supreme Court. Upon the request of Republicans, the court’s conservative majority reversed a judge’s order that would have helped election officials deal with the operational challenges of the massive expansion of mail-in voting prompted by the outbreak. The Supreme Court’s move, which in practice likely threw away thousands of absentee ballots, came after Republicans refused the Democratic governor’s calls to delay the election. Many voters had no choice but to wait in long lines in the midst of a pandemic if they wanted their votes counted. An image from this ugly episode went viral last week. The photo featured a top Wisconsin GOP lawmaker claiming it was perfectly fine to vote in-person, as he wore a full head-t0-toe protective gear.

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