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ONGOING. WHEN THE COMMISSIONER STARTED BY SAYING, THIS IS A MESS. SINCE THEN, THE STATE ELECTION COMMISSION HAS BEEN BEHIND CLOSED DOORS FOR THE PAST TWO HOURS. THIS IS NOT OVER BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION. AN APPEAL TONIGHT IS ALREADY IN THE WORKS. >> FOU THANK YOU -- THANK YOU SO MUCH. >> TONIGHT, A LOOK INSIDE THE FRONT LINES. IN BROOKFIELD, THOUSANDS OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS COMING IN, VOLUNTEERS RACING TO GET THOUSANDS OUT THE DOOR, AND VOTERS TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF ANY ELECTION-DAY RUSH. JUST AS U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE WILLIAM CONLEY RULED HE WOULDN’T POSTPONE TUESDAY’S ELECTION, AND BLASTED THE GOVERNOR AND REPUBLICAN LEADERS FOR FAILING TO DO MORE TO PROTECT WISCONSIN POLL WORKERS AND VOTER CURIOUS YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT AND WHAT CHALLENGES THAT POSES AS WE NOW LOOK AHEAD TO TUESDAY? >> I DON’T THINK DELAYING AN ELECTION IS GOING TO KILL ANYBODY, BUT IF WE HOLD THIS ELECTION, IT IS A 100% CERTAINTY WE WILL HAVE MORE TRANSMISSION THAN WE OTHERWISE WOULD AND THAT WILL LEAD TO MORE LOSS OF LIFE. :4 CONLEY, IN HIS 53-PAGE RULING, SAID IT’S NOT THE COURT THAT SHOULD STEP IN, WRITING AS MUCH AS THE COURT WOULD PREFER THAT THE WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR CONSIDER THE PUBLIC HEALTH AHEAD OF ANY POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS, THAT DOES NOT APPEAR IN THE CARDS. THE GOVERNOR EARLIER THIS WE WITH 12 NEWS. HOW IN THE WORLD DO WE KEEP PEOPLE SAFE IF THEY’RE GOING TO THE POLLS? >> AT THE END OF THE DAY WE WILL DO AS GOOD A JOB AS WE CAN. IT’S AN EXTREME BURDEN EVERYBOD, I GET THAT. JOYCE: MATT, YOU MENTIONED T APPEAL THAT’S BEING PREPARED TONIGH WHO WILL BE FILING IT? >> BOTH THE RNC AND STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY. THEY’RE PLANNING TO CHALLENGE THE ABSENTEE DEADLINES THE JUDGE EXTENDED T

Advertisement Judge won't postpone Wisconsin election but extends absentee deadline A federal judge in Madison has refused to postpone Wisconsin's presidential primary election. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A federal judge in Madison has refused to postpone Wisconsin's presidential primary election.But the ruling does allow the state to extend the window to vote absentee.At least three lawsuits were filed to postpone Tuesday's election, mail ballots to registered voters and extend the deadline to send back ballots and for clerks to count them.The deadline to request an absentee ballot will now be extended by one day.It was original deadline was Thursday at 5 p.m.It's now Friday at 5 p.m.Absentee ballots received until 4 p.m. on April 13 will be counted in the primary results."We are glad that the court came to the right decision today. Expanding access to absentee voting is critical in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and we continue to encourage all states to pursue vote-by-mail and no-excuse absentee voting to ensure that all eligible voters who want to cast a ballot have the means and ability to do so," DNC Chair Tom Perez said.The ruling also allows voters to cast absentee ballots without witness requirements for those who can’t safely have their absentee ballot witnessed.“In the absence of the Legislature doing its part to ensure a fair and safe election, I appreciate that the court chose to implement some of the common-sense solutions that I’ve been advocating for," Gov. Tony Evers said. "It’s great news that Wisconsinites will have more time to request and submit a ballot and that clerks will have more time to count ballots. I continue to encourage every Wisconsinite to request their absentee ballot and vote safely from home.” The Republican National Committee and the Wisconsin Republican Party filed a notice to appeal late Thursday to put a stop to the judge's order. The appeal will be filed late Thursday night of Friday morning. Wisconsin residents are under a stay-at-home order from Evers that prohibits nonessential activities to slow the spread of the coronavirus.State and local officials have been encouraging voters to request absentee ballots.As of Wednesday morning, more than 1 million voters have requested absentee ballots.That's more than the past four years' primary elections combined. They can also be dropped off at polling locations.Several municipalities have also established drive-thru early in-person voting.According to a Marquette University Law School poll, 51 percent respondents said the primary election should be moved while 44 percent said it should be held as scheduled.WISN 12 News is gathering more information about this developing story and will update this article as details come in.Get breaking news alerts with the WISN 12 app.Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube