Politics

Judge Shuts Down Democrats’ Attempt To Rush In Late Votes After Candidates Drop Out

Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour

Wisconsin Democrats lost a last-ditch effort to re-cast absentee ballots for voters after some of their candidates dropped out.

Dane County Circuit Judge David Conway ruled that voters cannot “spoil” an absentee ballot after it has been returned to their local election office, according to the court order filed Wednesday. Three Dane County plaintiffs, Joseph Alan Bins, Thomas Elert and Susan Roberts, alleged they could no longer vote for a new Democrat candidate.

Elert and Roberts alleged they would have waited to return their ballots if they knew they could not vote again, per the order.

“The Court concludes that the unambiguous language of the statute does not allow a voter to spoil an absentee ballot after it is returned. The clerk’s duty to issue a new ballot is triggered whenever a properly identified voter ‘returns a spoiled or damaged ballot,'” the judge said, according to the order.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin each did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) previously decided to prevent already-returned absentee ballot spoiling in a 4-2 July 9 vote, according to WisPolitics.

The legal counsel for the three plaintiffs told the DCNF that they intend to continue the lawsuit and challenge the WEC’s guidance.

All three plaintiffs voted for Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez in the Democratic primary for governor before Rodriguez’s campaign manager mishandled her financial records, prompting her decision to drop out of the race on July 17, Politico reported.

“Today I’m suspending my campaign. Thank you to everyone who believed and showed up for this campaign. Let’s keep fighting – together – to protect the Wisconsin we love,” Rodriguez said in an X post that day.

Former Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the governor’s race Thursday citing poor polling numbers, according to PBS.

“It’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be,” Barnes said, according to the outlet.

Socialist Democratic State Assemblywoman Francesca Hong is the heavy favorite to win the August 11 Democratic primary and likely face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in November. Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is endorsed by outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, also remains in the race.

Former Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation CEO Missy Hughes previously withdrew from the race and endorsed Rodriguez on June 22, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.