Close elections may become more common in Wisconsin, fueling participation but also more political divisiveness
Author Archives: Nora Eckert / Wisconsin Watch
Nora Eckert joined the Center in October 2020 as a reporter for Wisconsin Watch’s Votebeat project — a pop-up nonprofit newsroom covering local election administration and voting in six states, created by Chalkbeat. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and undergraduate degree from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wis. She previously worked with NPR, The Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal. She’s reported on national investigations into jail suicides, how climate change disproportionately affects the urban poor, the spread of coronavirus in nursing homes and the race for artificial blood. While reporting in Washington, she covered the impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump and funeral of Rep. Elijah Cummings. Before diving into the journalism world, she worked as a marketing and communications specialist at a Minnesota biotech company.
Posted inGovernment, Narrow Margin
‘We’re not going to be quiet’: Disability community in Wisconsin demands better access to voting
State’s decentralized election system makes it hard to guarantee accessibility; definition of ‘indefinitely confined’ under challenge
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Wisconsin’s nonvoters could be a powerful bloc — but barriers, disillusionment stand in the way
Working digitally and on the streets of Milwaukee, activists tried to convince nonvoters to go to the polls, but distrust and disgust kept some away
Posted inNews about Wisconsin Watch
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Posted inGovernment, Narrow Margin
A pandemic. False fraud claims. A misplaced flash drive. How Milwaukee elections chief led high-pressure vote count.
Facing intense scrutiny, Claire Woodall-Vogg fought against ‘racially motivated’ attempts to suppress voting in the 2020 election.
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Wisconsin GOP lawmakers call for tighter voting rules; Dems call election hearing a ‘sham’
Republicans called for changes to election law and made broad allegations of fraud and misconduct but offered little proof.
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Despite a surge in absentee voting, changes to ballot processing languish in Wisconsin
Municipal clerks have urged the Legislature to allow processing of absentee ballots before Election Day. Those cries are growing louder.
Posted inGovernment, Narrow Margin
Trump Wisconsin recount seeks to throw out tens of thousands of votes in Democratic strongholds
The president’s team wants to toss 170,000 in-person absentee ballots in Dane and Milwaukee counties; experts call the effort a long shot.
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‘Checks and balances’: Inside the life cycle of a Wisconsin absentee ballot
President Donald Trump claims widespread fraud in states including Wisconsin. Elections officials say numerous safeguards make that nearly impossible.
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What is voter intimidation? In Wisconsin, it’s a felony.
Nora Eckert from Wisconsin Watch spoke to Wisconsin’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul about the state law that bars voter intimidation, what to watch for when it comes to election observers and reports about possible militia activity on Election Day.
Posted inGovernment, Narrow Margin
Masks, poll watchers, pandemic: Wisconsin prepares for Election Day
Election officials say they expect a smooth day of voting Tuesday, but they remain on the lookout for disruptions and intimidation.
Posted inGovernment, Narrow Margin
Ballot drop boxes offer ‘a safe place’ for voting in Wisconsin’s election
Among the changes making voting safer during the COVID-19 pandemic: absentee ballot drop boxes installed by local clerks around the state.