Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told a Racine Journal Times reporter Tuesday that voting at the Racine County drive-up polling station where he was volunteering posed less of a risk than grocery shopping during the coronavirus pandemic.

Vos — dressed in a plastic gown, rubber gloves, a surgical mask and clear glasses — said election organizers in Burlington gave him the personal protective equipment and said it was mandatory to wear.

His wife, Michelle Litjens Vos, a conservative pundit and former state lawmaker, volunteered at a poll station in nearby Rochester, he said.

“You are incredibly safe to go out,” Vos told the Journal Times.

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He lauded the poll workers who set up the voting process in Burlington and urged voters to turn out.

“I think it’s a testament to the people who have really thought about this election: They knew what they were doing, they worked really hard to make sure that everybody who was here — the ones who are at the poll place working, the people who are coming in in their cars — everybody is here safe. They have very minimal exposure,” he said.

“Actually there’s less exposure here than you would get if you went to the grocery store or you went to Walmart or you did any of the many things we have to do to live in the state of Wisconsin. So I am super proud of the job that they did, and I am glad that we are able to have the election,” he continued.

Vos said he arrived at the Burlington site at 6:15 a.m. to receive training. He worked as an election inspector, signing ballots before another volunteer took them to voters in their cars.

A number of locations across southeast Wisconsin offered drive-up voting Tuesday. But others did not. In Milwaukee, five voting centers were open, down from the 180 polling places typically open. None offered drive-up voting on election day.

Voters faced long lines and average wait times between 90 minutes and two hours, according to Neil Albrecht, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission. At 9 p.m., an hour after polls close statewide, a long line still waited to vote outside of Riverside University High School in Milwaukee.

When the Journal Times reporter asked him what people should do if they hadn’t received absentee ballots in the mail and were afraid to go out, Vos offered two alternatives and said people should be smart when voting.

Vos said those who wanted to vote from their cars could do so. According to a state statute, if a person cannot enter a polling location due to a disability, poll workers must go to the person in their car outside.

Reid Magney, spokesman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said that the state distributed signs to polling places that listed a phone number: those who are disabled, immunocompromised or experiencing coronavirus symptoms could also call the number to request poll workers meet them at their cars.

He also cited the option that voters could request emailed ballots, which is incorrect. Politifact Wisconsin labeled as False a similar statement from Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler, who later deleted his tweet.

“I think people have to use their own best judgment. They have to make sure that if they’re compromised in any way or worrying about the safety of their family, that they do it really smartly,” Vos said.

Vos also reiterated his support for holding the election Tuesday, saying the number of coronavirus cases and deaths were not as bad as previously projected and that the situation might not improve in the coming months.

“It is no guarantee that in May or June we are going to be safer. We could be dealing with this in August or November, so we need to have a dry run as we’re going through it right now to make sure we get this right,” he said.

“And that’s why having the election where they’ve already prepped for it, they’ve already done the good work to make sure we can have it done safely,” he said.

Commenters on Facebook and Twitter criticized Vos for his charge that voting Tuesday was safe.

Others said the personal protective equipment used by poll workers should’ve been given to health care workers experiencing shortages of gear. And others said the precautions taken in a suburb like Burlington were not present in other areas of the state.

“Sure, Vos. It's just as safe as going to a grocery store. I'm sure you wear that to the grocery store, right?” one woman tweeted.

“Do you dress like this all the time or only when it is incredibly safe to go out?” a Facebook commenter remarked.

“Thank you for sending your constituents directly into harm's way,” another said.

Vos posted photos on Facebook of his experience at the polling station.

“An impressive amount of planning and organization went into ensuring everyone can safely exercise their right to vote,” he wrote.

“How does it feel to know you are wearing the very needed PPE that our frontlines do not have access to? For a political post?” a commenter responded.

Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or scarson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SCarson_News.