Wisconsin Democrats Want to Allow Absentee Voters to Cast a New Primary Ballot
The commission changed the rule 2 weeks before the governor primary, raising concerns that early voters for dropped-out candidates cannot vote again.
- On July 9, the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 4-2 to prohibit absentee voters from recasting returned ballots, even if their chosen candidate drops out, affecting more than 80,000 voters who had already returned ballots.
- After frontrunner Sara Rodriguez dropped out and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley re-entered the Democratic gubernatorial primary race, many voters who had cast ballots before these changes could no longer update their choices.
- On Tuesday, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin formally requested the commission rescind the guidance, with attorney Diane Welsh arguing voters must be able to spoil ballots to "meaningfully participate in the democratic process."
- In response, the Wisconsin GOP wrote, "Rather than follow the rules, the Wisconsin Democrat Party is asking WEC to change them to bail out its own party," with the dispute all but certain to trigger a high-stakes legal battle.
- This conflict reignites a legal dispute that began in 2022 when then-Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel initially ruled ballot spoiling illegal; an appeals court reversed that decision earlier this year, but the commission's new guidance effectively reinstates the ban.
20 Articles
20 Articles
The Toronto Star
Wisconsin Democrats want to allow absentee voters to cast a new primary ballot
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A chaotic Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor that has seen numerous candidates drop out and re-enter the race has threatened to leave thousands of voters who have already returned their ballots with worthless votes for the…
Wisconsin Democrats want absentee voters to be able to recast primary votes
(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Democratic Party is asking the Wisconsin Election Commission to retract its guidance against spoiling absentee ballots and allowing voters to recast their vote after last week’s upheaval in the Democratic race for governor.
Wis Dems: WisDems Statement on WEC’s Improper Spoiled Ballot Guidance
MADISON, Wis.— After submitting a request to the Wisconsin Election Commission to retract its guidance prohibiting absentee ballots from being spoiled and recast, WisDems Chair Devin Remiker released the following statement: “Allowing voters to spoil and recast their ballots was standard practice...
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