All registered Milwaukee voters will receive absentee ballot applications

The Milwaukee Common Council has voted to create a program under which all registered voters in the city would receive an application for an absentee ballot in the mail. The council's unanimous vote Tuesday is in response to the April 7 election when voters stood in long lines, some for hours, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The number of polling places was drastically cut because of a poll worker shortage. The Journal Sentine l reports the ``SafeVote'' program also provides the 300,000 registered voters with a postage-paid return envelope so they can participate in the fall election. The measure was proposed by a new council member, Marina Dimitrijevic, and passed at her first meeting. She hoped the system will be in place by the August primary, as well. The measure requires Milwaukee Election Commission to create the program within 30 days of the effective date of the resolution.