MADISON - Democrats sued Wisconsin election officials Wednesday to extend absentee balloting for the April 7 presidential primary because the coronavirus pandemic has confined many people to their homes.

The lawsuit by the Democratic National Committee and the state Democratic Party also seeks to drop a requirement that voters provide a copy of their photo ID when they request absentee ballots. The lawsuit is also aimed at giving people more time to use the web to register to vote — and to do so without providing proof of residence.

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The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Madison, argues that some of Wisconsin's voting laws should be set aside because the world is in the grip of a pandemic that has forced voters to stay at home.

"In this unprecedented situation, the regulatory scheme (for the election) has become hostile to voting rights and, as a direct result, thousands of Wisconsin voters are likely to be disenfranchised," attorney Marc Elias wrote in his filing.

Louisiana, Georgia and Ohio over the last week postponed their presidential primaries because of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 8,700 people around the globe.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has resisted the idea of doing that here. The Democratic governor noted Tuesday that the presidential primary isn't the only item on Wisconsin's ballot, and the terms for many local offices begin later in April.

Delaying the election could mean leaving local offices empty as leaders wrestle with the coronavirus outbreak and a faltering economy, he noted.

On the ballot are a seat on the state Supreme Court and local offices across the state, including Milwaukee mayor and Milwaukee County executive.

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The Democrats' lawsuit comes short of asking to delay the election.

Instead, they want voters to be able to receive absentee ballots without having to provide a photo ID, and they want clerks to count absentee ballots that arrive by April 17 so long as they're postmarked by Election Day.

Ordinarily, absentee ballots must be received by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

The Democrats are also asking the court to allow people to register to vote without having to provide a photo ID or proof of residence. They argue providing those documents are too burdensome when many libraries, copy shops and other businesses that have scanners and copiers are closed.

Those bringing the lawsuit want to keep online and by-mail voter registration open until April 3. Under state law, today — March 18 — is the last day voters can register to vote by mail or through the state's online portal.

Voters are allowed to register to vote in clerk's offices until April 3 and at the polls on Election Day. The lawsuit says that's impractical when state and national officials are telling people to stay home.

Under the law, voters have until April 2 to request absentee ballots online or by mail. The lawsuit is not seeking to change that deadline.

But clerks are urging people to request absentee ballots as soon as possible to help them keep up with a surge of requests. Seven municipalities in suburban Milwaukee warned voters this week that absentee ballots requested close to the deadline risk not get counted.

Mark Jefferson, executive director of the state Republican Party, said Democrats were trying to suspend "commonsense rules" with their lawsuit.

"Democrats are trying to hijack a national health crisis to rig an election in their favor," he said in a statement.

Wisconsin allows people to vote absentee for any reason. They don't have to be out of town or give an excuse for voting absentee.

People can register to vote and request absentee ballots at myvote.wi.gov.

In response to the lawsuit, Evers spokeswoman Melissa Baldauff said ensuring people's safety was the governor's top priority.

"But the governor has also said that our democracy must continue," she said in a statement. "He has been urging folks to vote by absentee ballot and believes that process should be as simple and accessible as possible.

Some want to postpone election

Eight groups sent a letter to the governor Wednesday imploring him to delay the election using the powers he has during emergencies, even though some experts have questioned the legality of such a move.

“Polling places will be unsafe and insecure – for both voters and poll workers — and in violation of the (Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s) guidelines and your own general order regarding congregations of people,” the groups wrote in their letter to Evers.

The letter was sent by the Milwaukee branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Voces de la Frontera, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Forward Latino, Souls to the Polls, Wisconsin Working Families Party, a unit of the American Federation of Teachers and Black Leaders Organizing for Communities.

The letter follows public comments this week from former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson and outgoing Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele calling for delaying the election.

Election experts have said pushing off the election during a health emergency falls into a gray area. It's not clear if Evers or courts could issue orders postponing it, they have said.

The easiest way to change the election date would be to pass a law rescheduling it. But like Evers, state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, has opposed the idea.

The state Elections Commission, which consists of three Republicans and three Democrats, could not reach agreement Wednesday on whether the election should continue on schedule.

"The election must go on," said commission Chairman Dean Knudson, a Republican. "We need to do our best with this."

But some Democrats were not convinced of that, and some floated the possibility of requiring all ballots to be cast by mail.

Commissioners from both parties expressed concerns about conducting an election during a pandemic that is so severe that Evers has barred most gatherings of 10 or more people. The limits on gatherings do not apply to polling places.

At the meeting — held by teleconference because of the coronavirus outbreak — commission Director Meagan Wolfe said the commission could not on its own to extend voting deadlines.

She said clerks have expressed concerns that mail service could slow, making it hard to ensure ballots are received on time. Clerks are also worried about having enough poll workers, absentee ballot envelopes and hand sanitizer for polling sites.

The commission unanimously gave Wolfe the ability to spend up to $200,000 for absentee envelopes and other supplies. The commission also asked the state Health Services Department to help it secure hand sanitizer and told commission staff to provide clerks with information about the best ways to prevent the spread of illness at the polls.

Requests for absentee ballots have surged, according to the commission. As of Tuesday, about 174,000 absentee ballots had been requested and commission staff expect it to surpass the nearly 250,000 absentee ballots issued in the 2016 presidential primary.

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul typically represents the Elections Commission. Kaul has left decisions about some voting rights cases because before he was attorney general he sued over some of the state's election laws.

The Democrats in the latest case are represented by Kaul's old law firm, Perkins Coie. An aide to Kaul did not say whether he would be involved in defending the commission in the latest lawsuit.

DMV centers to close for the day Friday

Also Wednesday, the Evers administration announced it would close all Division of Motor Vehicles centers Friday through Sunday so workers could give them thorough cleanings to protect people from coronavirus.

The closures just before the election have implications for the voter ID law.

A federal court ruled in 2016 that parts of the voter ID law were unconstitutional because the state made it difficult for those who lack birth certificates or other identity documents to obtain voting credentials. The state made changes to its system in response to the ruling, but even a temporary disruption to the availability of IDs could raise concerns among voting rights advocates.

Starting Monday the service centers will be open only to issue new driver’s licenses and ID cards, and those seeking them must make an appointment to get them. Driver license renewals, driver skills testing and others services will not be available at the centers.

Licenses and IDs that expire during the coronavirus outbreak will be automatically extended for 60 days. No late fees will be charged, according to the DMV.

You can find out who your legislators are and how to contact them here: https://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/

Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.