Friday, March 12, 2021
For immediate release
Green Bay – The Democratic Party of Brown County Wisconsin reaffirms its commitment to protecting the rights of all people to vote freely, fairly and safely in democratic elections. The party commends the City of Green Bay for leading one of the most well-run, highest turn-out elections in the city’s history despite the incredibly challenging circumstances of the pandemic. The recent right-wing attacks on Green Bay’s election results are based on misinformation and outright lies that are undermining our democracy.
“Democrats want all people to vote no matter the color of their skin, where they live, or if they have a disability,” said Democratic Party of Brown County Chair Renee Gasch. “The City of Green Bay went above and beyond to make sure residents could safely vote during the pandemic. It is truly a shame that the GOP is attacking our community and the hard-working election workers who put their lives on the line so people could participate in our democracy.”
Assembly Republicans on the Campaigns and Elections Committee organized a “hearing” Wednesday into Green Bay’s election results, which committee member Rep. Mark Spreitzer described as a “smear campaign.” The hearing was laced with racist, homophobic, and anti-democratic rhetoric, underscoring concerns that the real reason Green Bay is being targeted is because of its voters of color that frequently vote for Democrats.
“The GOP has a concerning pattern of trying to suppress the votes of communities of color because they know they cannot win their votes legitimately,” said Gasch. “Democrats stand in solidarity with the voters across Wisconsin who are being targeted by misinformation and voter suppression. We are focused on developing the policies that will improve the lives of everyday people––not throwing out their votes.”
Already in 2021, Governor Evers has included a proposal in his budget to fund automatic voter registration in Wisconsin, and House Democrats in Congress have passed the For the People Act, which would dramatically expand access to voting. Meanwhile, a recent bill by Wisconsin Republicans proposes to make it harder for voters who are indefinitely confined for medical reasons to vote absentee. Nationally, Republicans have introduced nearly 300 bills in almost every state to make it harder to vote.
###
Contact:
Renee Gasch, Chair, (920) 366-3780 chair@browncountydems.com
Terry Lee, Vice Chair, (920) 664-6363 info@browncountydems.com
