I have written this oped for the NY Daily News. It begins:

If there’s one lesson the farce of conducting the April 7 Wisconsin elections in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic should have taught Republicans, it is that the voters you hurt may be your own. Rather than play games in an effort to depress turnout among likely Democratic voters, now is the time for all officials — both Democrat and Republican — to think about how to make voting safe, secure and easy in November.

There are signs from Wisconsin that Republican efforts to make it harder to vote in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic are backfiring in two ways. First, suppressive efforts are firing up Democrats to come out and vote. As the New York Times reported, Democrats voted in large numbers in a highly contested state Supreme Court race — and a less contested Democratic presidential primary.

Second, suppressive efforts are making it harder for some staunch Republican voters and Trump supporters, particularly in rural areas, to cast their ballots.

“While Republicans encouraged early and absentee voting, many elderly either did not have the wherewithal to request absentee ballots or the inclination to vote in person on April 7.” Doug Rogalla, the Republican Party chairman in Monroe County, told the Times. “They were confused, afraid and decided to stay home.”

But some Republicans still have not gotten the message….

Indeed, we have seen stories of many responsible Republican officials who have pushed back on the president’s claims, such as Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who has called Ohio’s vote by mail system safe and secure. Moreover, Republicans in places like Florida depend upon strong vote-by-mail efforts as part of their get-out-the-vote activities. In a state like Florida, with a large elderly population, such efforts are not only good politics but good for the health and safety of vulnerable populations.

It would be nice to think that all Republican leaders would agree that we should think about the remaining primaries and upcoming November election with an eye toward how to maximize the participation of eligible voters in a way that assures they can cast safe and effective votes. But even if some leaders care only about partisanship in designing election rules in the COVID-19 era, what is good for all voters may be especially good for reliable Republican voters.