After Recovering from COVID-19, Rep. Bowen Worked to Assist Voters with Coronavirus

MILWAUKEE – In the face of yesterday’s shameful decisions by Wisconsin Republicans, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the US Supreme Court to force Wisconsin’s spring election to move forward, State Rep. David Bowen (D-Milwaukee), who has recovered from COVID-19, demonstrated his willingness to fight voter disenfranchisement by serving as a witness for absentee voters battling COVID-19 symptoms themselves:

“We should not have even been stuck talking about the unnecessary and dangerous logistical challenges that have faced voters today, but here we are. Due to the unconscionable actions by Republican legislative leadership to consistently block attempts to delay today’s election, as well as the deadly decisions made yesterday by both the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the United States Supreme Court to force the election to move forward, many Wisconsin voters who were self-isolating while fighting off COVID-19 faced the threat of voter disenfranchisement by no fault of their own. With so many awful decisions being made by so-called political ‘leaders,’ it was time that someone showed the people of Wisconsin that they were willing to stand up and do the right thing. That is why, today, I was happy to serve as a ballot witness and drop off absentee ballots for Milwaukee voters isolated in quarantine while they battle this awful virus.”

Earlier this week, Rep. Bowen announced that he himself had recovered from his own battle with COVID-19. As someone who recovered from the virus, Rep. Bowen built up an immunity to COVID-19, and was not at risk of contracting the disease again. At the same time, despite legal challenges, the courts upheld the existing requirement for a witness to sign absentee ballots, as well as the requirement that absentee ballots be delivered or postmarked by 8pm tonight, both of which created extremely difficult hurdles for voters fighting COVID-19 to meet.

“I thank God every day for seeing me through my battle with the coronavirus, and I felt compelled as both a survivor of COVID-19 and as a public servant to use that Grace to help others within my community. I am blessed to serve, and I am always committed to serving my neighbors in the best way I can.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.