Overview
- The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted on July 9 to tell clerks that once an absentee ballot is returned it cannot be spoiled or reissued.
- State data show more than 80,000 absentee ballots were already returned before the guidance, which means many voters who backed candidates that later withdrew cannot get a new ballot.
- The Democratic Party of Wisconsin formally asked the commission on July 21–22 to rescind the guidance and said it expects litigation if the rule stands.
- Advocates and election officials say the rule creates a sharper difference between absentee and in-person voting because in-person voters can get replacement ballots for mistakes while returned absentee ballots have no do-over.
- The issue revives a 2022 legal fight over 'ballot spoiling' and is likely to face court challenges before the Aug. 11 primary given tight return deadlines and ballot preprocessing timelines.