3-11-14 election bills

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A coalition of groups is speaking out against elections-related bills up for a vote in the state Senate, including one that would limit in-person absentee voting hours and another that would allow lobbyists to give donations to politicians sooner than they can now.  Members of the Coalition to Protect Wisconsin Elections held a news conference Monday to urge the Senate to reject the bills that are up for votes Tuesday. The bills are sponsored by Republicans, who control the Senate, and expected to pass.  One proposal would limit in-person absentee voting to between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays in the two weeks before an election.  Mike Wilder, co-chairman of the African American Roundtable in Milwaukee, calls that and others up for a vote "anti-democracy bills."