Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order suspending in-person voting for the April 7 election in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release. 

The order moves in-person voting to June 9 and directs the state legislature to meet in special session on April 7 to address the election date. If the Legislature does not enact legislation to change the new election date, in-person voting will occur June 9.

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Evers wrote he signed this order for the safety of Wisconsinites.

“There’s no good answer to this problem — I wish it were easy,” Evers wrote. “But as municipalities are consolidating polling locations, and absent legislative or court action, I cannot in good conscience stand by and do nothing. The bottom line is that I have an obligation to keep people safe.”

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Evers had previously signed another executive order calling the legislature to meet in a special session to send a ballot to every registered voter, allow an all-mail election and extend the time for those ballots to be received and counted. The legislature did not take up these changes in special session.

Ballots already cast in the 2020 Spring election will remain valid and will be tallied in conjunction with the new in-person voting date.