Miller Park and Fiserv Forum won't be hosting early voting after all. In a reversal, the City of Milwaukee Election Commission announced today that Milwaukee's two sports landmarks won't be used as early voting sites due to legal concerns.
"Unfortunately the addition of these two sites could be legally challenged due to a recent court ruling, and we don’t want to do anything that could risk a City of Milwaukee voter’s ballot being counted," the commission's executive director Claire Woodall-Vogg said in a statement Tuesday morning.
It's not immediately clear why voting at such a site would be illegal -- early absentee voting is legal, and indeed the City of Milwaukee will continue to host 13 other early voting sites. But the move may have been done out of an abundance of caution, after the Wisconsin Republican Party threatened lawsuits last week over any early voting events featuring Milwaukee Bucks or Brewers players or mascots, including the Brewers' iconic racing sausages.
A Republican lawyer said that such appearances could be considered electioneering, which is defined by state law as “any activity which is intended to influence voting at an election.” Democrats have accused Republicans of trying to sew confusion and make it more difficult for voters to cast ballots.