{"id":2112431,"date":"2023-11-30T15:59:02","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T20:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-wisconsin-electors-cannot-change-their-ballots-after-already-voting\/"},"modified":"2023-11-30T16:02:05","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T21:02:05","slug":"court-wisconsin-electors-cannot-change-their-ballots-after-already-voting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/court-wisconsin-electors-cannot-change-their-ballots-after-already-voting\/","title":{"rendered":"Court: Wisconsin Electors Bound to Original Ballot, No Changes Allowed"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcourt-wisconsin-electors-cannot-change-their-ballots-after-already-voting%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2112431&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Wisconsin Judge Rules Absentee Ballots Cannot Be Cancelled and \u2063Voted\u200c Again<\/h2>\n<p>Wisconsin voters are\u200b not allowed to cancel their already-submitted absentee\u200d ballot\u2062 and vote again, according to a ruling by\u2063 a state judge on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Writing for the Waukesha County Circuit Court, Judge Brad\u2062 Schimel declared that\u2062 the Wisconsin Elections Commission&#8217;s guidance to municipal election clerks, which\u2064 permitted voters\u200b to request their absentee ballot be &#8220;spoiled&#8221; for a chance to vote again, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fulton-county-ga-elections-board-director-fired\/\" title=\"Fulton County, Ga. elections board director fired\">violated state law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The court \u200cfinds that the statutes governing\u200d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-wisconsin-elections-commission-let-electors-change-votes-after-submitting-ballots-2\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Wisconsin Elections Commission Let Electors Change Votes After Submitting Ballots\">absentee voting process<\/a> are generally unambiguous. The legislature clearly set\u200b forth what&#8230; the rules are, with one possible exception,&#8221; Schimel \u2063wrote. &#8220;The August\u2064 1, 2022, memorandum to clerks and August 2, 2022, public press release both set forth information that is contrary to the\u2062 statutes, and are illegal.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Schimel emphasized that absentee voting\u200c in Wisconsin is considered a\u200b privilege, not \u2064a right, and the existing laws do not \u2064allow for a do-over by \u200cspoiling the ballot at the voter&#8217;s\u200d request. He \u200calso highlighted the legislature&#8217;s intention to\u200d prevent potential fraud, as once election fraud occurs, it cannot be rectified, resulting in disenfranchisement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A candidate will get votes improperly, and there is no way to adjust the vote count&#8230;\u2063 As noted, \u2064the rules relating to absentee balloting are strict and \u200cthe consequences are particularly tough,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;The point: WEC and all election clerks had\u2064 better get it right, \u200bor voters will be disenfranchised. This court had better \u200dget it right, too.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission was filed \u2064by Restoring\u200d Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE) \u200bon behalf of a Wisconsin voter in September 2022. RITE argued \u200bthat the commission&#8217;s guidance violated state law and could lead to fraud and confusion. Schimel agreed and issued \u2064a temporary injunction \u2064in October 2022, \u2064which has now been made permanent with Wednesday&#8217;s \u2063ruling.<\/p>\n<p>The court will schedule a hearing to determine the precise language of the injunction and declaratory judgment that prohibits the distribution and\u2062 use\u200d of the unlawful guidance by the \u200cWisconsin Elections \u2063Commission.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr>\n<p>Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and \u200ba graduate of the University \u200dof Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action\u2063 and his work\u2063 has been featured in numerous outlets, including \u2063RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter <strong>@ShawnFleetwood<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-image data-amount=\"5\">\n<h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are \u200cthe potential concerns raised by\u2064 opponents of allowing voters to cancel their absentee ballots and vote again?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  And \u2063voting again. He\u200b argued that\u2063 allowing voters to cancel their\u200d already-submitted \u2063absentee ballot and vote again \u2063would undermine the integrity of \u2064the election process.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling\u200d came as a response to a\u200c lawsuit filed by a conservative group, who argued that \u200bthe Wisconsin Elections Commission&#8217;s guidance was unlawful and could lead \u2062to voter fraud. The group \u200bclaimed that \u2063allowing voters to spoil \u2062their ballot and vote again\u2064 could potentially result in individuals\u2063 casting multiple votes, thereby compromising the fairness of the election.<\/p>\n<p>In his\u200c ruling,\u2063 Judge Schimel cited the statutes governing \u200dabsentee voting in Wisconsin, which clearly state that once a voter \u2062has submitted their absentee ballot, it \u2063is final and cannot be changed. The judge noted that\u2064 the legislature had clearly established the rules for the absentee voting process,\u2064 and\u2062 any deviations\u200c from these\u200d rules, as \u2062outlined in the Commission&#8217;s guidance, would be illegal.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling has sparked controversy and debate among politicians and the \u200cpublic. \u2064Some argue that allowing voters to cancel and vote again would provide them with a safety net \u200cin case of errors or \u200dchanges of mind. They believe that it\u200d is essential \u2063to prioritize the accuracy and validity of each \u2064vote,\u2064 even\u2062 if it means allowing for a do-over.<\/p>\n<p>On the \u2064other hand, opponents of the Commission&#8217;s guidance argue that it opens the door for potential fraud and abuse.\u2064 They stress the \u2062importance \u2062of following\u200b the established \u2062laws\u2064 and ensuring that the election process remains transparent and secure.<\/p>\n<p>As of \u2062now, the ruling stands and absentee voters in Wisconsin are not allowed to\u2062 cancel their ballots and vote again. The Wisconsin Elections Commission \u2063has acknowledged the decision and indicated that it will abide by the court&#8217;s ruling.<\/p>\n<p>This case highlights the\u2062 ongoing debates surrounding absentee voting \u200cand election integrity. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-gag-order-lifted-by-new-york-appeals-court-judge\/\" title=\"Trump Gag Order Lifted by New York Appeals Court Judge\">poses important questions<\/a> about the balance between accommodating voters&#8217; \u200crights \u2064and\u200d preserving the fairness\u2064 of the electoral system. As the issue continues to\u200c evolve, it remains to be seen how other states \u200band jurisdictions will approach \u2064similar challenges and rulings regarding \u200cthe handling of \u2062absentee ballots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a ruling on Wednesday, Judge Brad Schimel of the Waukesha County Circuit Court stated that Wisconsin voters cannot void their submitted absentee ballot and cast a new vote. The judge declared that the Wisconsin Elections Commission&#8217;s guidance allowing voters to request their ballot be &#8220;spoiled&#8221; for a revote was invalid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2112432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2112431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2112431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2112431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2112432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2112431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2112431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2112431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}