Coronavirus USA: What Barack And Michelle Obama Said About Wisconsin Voting During Outbreak

Barack and Michelle Obama spoke out this week after Wisconsin’s Supreme Court struck down an order by Gov. Tony Evers to postpone the state’s primary. The primary was controversially held Tuesday, while Americans were asked to stay home amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

“No one should be forced to choose between their right to vote and their right to stay healthy like the debacle in Wisconsin this week,” former President Obama tweeted Friday, sharing a New York Times article.

The former first lady also chimed in on the issue.

“Today, Wisconsin voters had to choose between making their voice heard and keeping themselves and their family safe. No American should ever have to make that choice,” Michelle Obama tweeted Tuesday. “We must do better to ensure voting is safe for all voters. The latest Wisconsin voting information is below.”

The comments from Barack and Michelle Obama are noteworthy considering both had been mostly quiet during the Democratic primaries.

Wisconsin voters often waited in long lines to make their voices heard, as few polling locations were open. There is a major risk of the coronavirus being transmitted at the voting locations, with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services investigating the matter.

Other states, such as Ohio, have delayed their primaries and opted for mail-in ballots. Both Wisconsin and Ohio are considered key swing states in November.

President Trump has been critical of mail-in voting.

"Mail ballots — they cheat. OK? People cheat," Trump said on April 7. "There's a lot of dishonesty going along with mail-in voting."

Yet there is little evidence of widespread voter fraud in the U.S. Experts say mail-in voting can help prevent the spread of coronavirus and protect public health.

“No means of voting is perfect, but the benefits of vote-by-mail — particularly during a pandemic — greatly exceed the risks of fraud associated with it,” Richard Hasen, an election law expert and a professor at the University of California at Irvine, told NBC News.

If the coronavirus pandemic continues into the fall, it would likely have a major impact on in-person voting during the November general election. On Super Tuesday in early March, voters in states like Texas and California faced long lines at the polls with some waiting several hours.