{"id":2640496,"date":"2026-08-04T17:52:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T21:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wi-judge-rules-paper-absentee-ballots-discriminate-against-disabled-voters\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T17:56:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T21:56:51","slug":"wi-judge-rules-paper-absentee-ballots-discriminate-against-disabled-voters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wi-judge-rules-paper-absentee-ballots-discriminate-against-disabled-voters\/","title":{"rendered":"WI judge rules paper absentee ballots discriminate against disabled voters"},"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%2Fwi-judge-rules-paper-absentee-ballots-discriminate-against-disabled-voters%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=2640496&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--><p>A Wisconsin judge ruled that the state&#8217;s absentee voting system discriminates against disabled voters by preventing them from casting ballots privately and independently, violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit was filed in 2024 by Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women voters, and four disabled voters. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whitehouse-pushes-justice-dept-to-support-controversial-donor-disclosure-rule\/\" title=\"Whitehouse Pushes Justice Dept. to Support Controversial Donor Disclosure Rule\">court found<\/a> that the current paper-only absentee ballot process harms voters unable to complete ballots without assistance. However, the judge declined to order the immediate implementation of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stranded-astronauts-set-to-vote-from-outer-space\/\" title=\"Stranded Astronauts Set to Vote from Outer Space\">electronic absentee ballots<\/a>, citing ongoing disputes over weather such a system is feasible and secure. A trial to resolve this issue is scheduled for August,making it unlikely that any changes will be in place before the November midterm elections. Previously, the court issued a temporary injunction to provide electronic ballots for certain disabled voters, but an appeals court overturned that decision. The ruling emphasizes the need to address voting accessibility for disabled individuals without disrupting the current system.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wisconsin\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"239\">Wisconsin<\/a> judge ruled Tuesday that the state\u2019s absentee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/voting\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"195\">voting<\/a> system discriminates against disabled voters by denying them the ability to cast ballots privately and independently, but the ruling did not order election officials to offer electronic absentee ballots before the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\">midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in 2024 by Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters, and four disabled voters, who argued that the lack of an electronic absentee voting option violates the<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/americans-with-disabilities-act\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"6148\"> Americans with Disabilities Act<\/a> by denying disabled voters the ability to vote independently and privately.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4674952\/peter-navarro-rehearing-jan-6-committee-contempt\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro seeks full court rehearing in Jan. 6 committee contempt case<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4674809\/wisconsin-judge-paper-absentee-ballots-discriminate-disabled-voters\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Wisconsin judge rules paper absentee ballots discriminate against disabled voters<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4674462\/doj-charges-19-in-alleged-4-million-philadelphia-medicaid-fraud-case-as-fraud-strike-force-tops-45-billion-nationally\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ charges 19 in alleged $4 million Philadelphia Medicaid fraud case as fraud strike force tops $45 billion nationally<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell found that Wisconsin\u2019s paper-only absentee ballot system violates the rights of disabled voters who cannot complete a paper ballot without assistance. However, he declined to require the state to implement electronic absentee voting, saying the parties continue to dispute whether it is a reasonable remedy. A trial on that question is expected in August, making it unlikely any changes will take effect before the November election.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mitchell\u2019s decision follows a legal back-and-forth over the issue. In 2024, he issued a temporary injunction directing the state to offer electronic absentee ballots to certain disabled voters. An appeals court later overturned that order, finding the injunction would have improperly and \u201csignificantly disrupted the status quo,\u201d and sent the case back to the lower court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Tuesday\u2019s ruling, Mitchell reaffirmed that Wisconsin\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >absentee ballot program \u201cdenies disabled people<\/a> the equal opportunity to vote absentee privately and independently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4668771\/judge-wisconsin-democrats-absentee-ballots-primary\/\">Judge rules Wisconsin Democrats can\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-rules-wisconsin-voters-cant-recast-absentee-ballots\/\" title=\"Judge rules Wisconsin ... can\u2019t recast absentee ballots\">recast absentee ballots<\/a> after candidate shuffle<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He declined to mandate electronic voting for now, citing unresolved questions over the feasibility, implementation challenges, and security risks of such a system. Under his earlier injunction, voters who self-certified that they could not read or mark a paper ballot without assistance would have been eligible to request an electronic ballot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wisconsin already emails absentee ballots to military and overseas voters, but neither the plaintiffs nor the Wisconsin Elections Commission could estimate how many disabled voters would use an electronic absentee ballot option if one were made available. Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled legislature is fighting the measure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wisconsin judge rules absentee voting system discriminates against disabled voters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2640497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/iStock-2155347006-e1785878163532.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32692,83685,33739,32570,4124],"class_list":["post-2640496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-absentee-ballots","tag-disabled-voters","tag-election-law","tag-voting-rights","tag-wisconsin"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/iStock-2155347006-e1785878163532.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640496","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\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2640496"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2640500,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2640496\/revisions\/2640500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2640497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2640496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2640496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2640496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}