Gov. Walker signs early voting bill with partial veto

MADISON (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker has quietly signed into law a bill that limits in-person absentee voting to no later than 7 p.m. during the week and no weekend hours.

Walker vetoed a portion of the bill Thursday that limited the hours of early voting to no more than 45 in each of the two weeks prior to an election. He kept the prohibition on weekend voting.

Democrats strongly opposed the measure, saying it was targeted at tamping down turnout in the heavily Democratic cities of Milwaukee and Madison which held extended hours during the 2012 presidential election.

Walker also vetoed a portion of the bill that would have reimbursed local governments for costs associated with early voting.

The bill was one of more than two dozen that Walker acted on Thursday.