Open letter to Speaker Vos regarding Tuesday's election
April 10, 2020
Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos
Room 217 West
State Captiol
PO Box 8953
Madison, WI 53708
Dear Speaker Robin Vos,
Many Wisconsinites have inquired about how you obtained the personal protective equipment (PPE) you wore on Election Day. People saw the pictures and video of you dressed up in a mask, gloves and gown at a public polling place.
It raised important questions that people deserve to have answered. While tens of thousands of frontline healthcare workers are begging for masks, gloves, gowns, etc. to help protect their health and lives and their families during this time of a dangerous shortage of these essential health care workers’ supplies, how were you able to obtain the PPE you wore on Election Day?
Second, you forced the April 7th election on voters, while fifteen other states and Puerto Rico postponed their elections through bipartisan cooperation so their people weren’t forced to choose between their right to vote and their right to protect their personal health and lives and their families.
While you made sure you were well protected at the polls, tens of thousands of Wisconsin voters and poll workers weren’t as privileged to have the same PPE as they risked their health and lives because you refused to postpone the April 7th election and consider methods to make the election more accessible during a communicable disease pandemic such as voting by mail.
You made the statement, “It’s incredibly safe to go out” and vote. It looked pretty silly and ironic that you were dressed looking like you were in a hazmat suit which actually proved the potential danger of being exposed to the Coronavirus for all the rest of Wisconsinites.
Will you act in any forthcoming sessions of the Wisconsin State Assembly to accommodate those voters whose ability to vote was compromised by your decision to rush the democratic process when you had the power to instead make sure that every voice could be heard?
Speaker Vos, you were viewed as a complete embarrassment on Election Day by many throughout our great state and nation. Your publicity stunt was called stupid, clownish and silly by many national observers who were absolutely shocked that you could be considered as a leader in the Wisconsin State Legislature. How can you convince the people of Wisconsin that the results of Tuesday’s election should be considered legitimate when so many Wisconsinites know that the conditions of the election were unfair to voters?
I look forward to your answers to these important questions raised by many voters. After this matter is settled, it’s past time for the Republican Legislature to get back to work to combat the COVID-19 Pandemic and stop just collecting a state paycheck.
Best wishes,
Tim Carpenter
State Senator, 3rd District