In late July, the Republican National Committee, along with Wisconsin GOP, announced an election strategy shift called the “Bank Your Vote Initiative” that encourages the use of absentee and early voting, according to an RNC press release.
Wisconsin has been chosen by the RNC as the first state in the U.S. where this initiative will be implemented, the press release said.
Wisconsin Democrats Press Secretary Haley McCoy said the RNC is prioritizing Wisconsin for this initiative because of the state’s status as a swing state, and therefore its importance in presidential elections.
“Wisconsin is the tipping point state,” McCoy said. “In 2016 and in 2020, we were the state that determined the winner of the White House, and the Republican party is aware of that.”
The Bank Your Vote Initiative in Wisconsin also comes after Wisconsin’s largest city, Milwaukee, was selected as the site for the 2024 Republican National Convention — where the committee will announce its 2024 presidential candidate. The first Republican presidential debate was also held in Milwaukee in August.
Wisconsin Republican leaders have promoted the “Bank Your Vote Initiative” online. In a July 24 Facebook post, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. shared about the initiative, encouraging voters to take part in early and absentee voting.
Republican presidential candidates take stage in Milwaukee for first debate
Further, state senators from the Shared Revenue, Elections, and Consumer Protection committee met Tuesday, July 29 to discuss Senate Bill 39. The bipartisan bill would make absentee voting more secure by ensuring voters receive confirmation via text message that their applications for absentee ballots were received, according to the Wisconsin State Legislature.
University of Wisconsin College Democrats communications director Whitman Bottari said voter suppression has long been an issue in Republican elections, especially in Wisconsin.
“While this is definitely a new approach Republicans are taking, there are still huge barriers to voting across the state,” Bottari said.
Proposals, such as Senate Bill 39, benefit voters across the state of Wisconsin, according to Bottari.
But additional proposals from Republican leaders across the state may create challenges for University of Wisconsin students who wish to vote using a temporary address.
At the Wisconsin Republicans’ Convention in June, Republicans voted on one resolution that said students “shall vote by absentee ballot at the polling place assigned to their permanent home address (not a temporary college address),” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
College Republicans at UW are adopting the Bank Your Vote initiative to connect with younger voters on campus.
For student political organizations on campus, the Bank Your Vote Initiative may provide an opportunity to increase voter security and turnout, College Republicans chair Ali Beneker said..
“This is an opportunity for us to ensure that early voting is something secure and something Republican voters can trust,” Beneker said. “The reality is that when Democrats are pushing early voting those two weeks before the election, it’s really hard for Republicans to make up all of those votes in one day.”
