MADISON, Wis. (Wisconsin News Connection) – Local election administrators have new guidance from Wisconsin’s highest court on alternative early voting sites.
A political expert says the timing is important for the battleground state ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a ruling this week that bans the use of “mobile voting sites.” That outcome is seen as a victory for conservatives challenging such options, but separately, the court kept in place rules that allow clerks to choose other alternative sites for absentee voting.
University of Wisconsin political science professor Barry Burden said that means these officials will still have flexibility as they sort out logistics.
“They face a lot of difficulties trying to find sites that are available,” he said. “They’re often repurposing a church or a school or a community building.”
With the Supreme Court pausing a lower court’s ruling that heavily restricted these other sites, Burden said clerks won’t have added confusion as they meet deadlines for this year’s election. The case has to do with the interpretation of state law that prohibits alternative sites from being set up in areas that could give one political party an advantage over another.
Burden and other political observers still expect the Wisconsin Supreme Court to issue a ruling soon about the banning of ballot dropboxes.
“The Supreme Court has considered a new case that would allow them again,” he said, “and there’s a new liberal majority that seems more inclined to permit those again, as they were used in 2020.”
After the 2020 election, Wisconsin was one of the states embroiled in the “fake elector” scheme tied to supporters of former President Donald Trump. Even though Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee in this year’s race, Burden doesn’t predict the same fallout. He noted there are new guardrails, including updates to the federal Electoral Count Act, but he acknowledged there still could be lawsuits and protests in Wisconsin.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The original story was published on Wisconsin News Connection, a division of Public News Service.
More Articles
June Dairy Breakfasts – Wisconsin Rapids and Pittsville
6/23/2024 | Melissa Kaye
June Dairy Breakfasts took place in Wisconsin Rapids and Pittsville on Saturday. Great attendance despite the weather.
New Security Plans for Republican National Convention are Subject of ACLU Lawsuit
6/21/2024 | Ella Saph
MILWAUKEE (Civic Media) – The United States Secret Service has announced increased security measures prior to the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee July 15-18. The new precautions are expected to pose challenges for vehicles, pedestrians, and public transit in downtown Milwaukee, and according to the ACLU, are in violation of First Amendment rights. […]
Could the Mississippi River benefit from Chesapeake Bay’s strategy to improve water quality?
6/21/2024 | Bennet Goldstein / Wisconsin Watch
In the Mississippi River basin, an estimated 60% to 80% of the nitrogen entering the gulf originates at farms and livestock operations.
Eau Claire Sustainability Committee Approves Ordinance Proposal
6/21/2024 | James Kelly
The Eau Claire Sustainability Advisory Committee has approved some of the new ordinance proposals introduced earlier this week.
SSM Health Baraboo Receives Energy Star
6/21/2024 | Jo Ann Krulatz
SSM Health St. Clare Hospital – Baraboo has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR® certification for superior energy efficiency for 2024. This recognition represents the diligent work of the plant operations team to save money and reduce operating costs by implementing and following industry best practices and careful attention to energy performance […]
