Appeals court makes it harder to disqualify absentee ballots in battleground Wisconsin

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin appeals court says absentee voters’ witnesses don’t need to supply their complete addresses for election officials. Thursday’s ruling could lead to more absentee ballots being counted in the battleground state this fall. State law requires absentee voters to submit their ballots in an envelope with a witness signature and address. A county judge ruled in January that ballots still count even if a witness omits municipalities or ZIP codes or even says “ditto” if the witness lives with the voter. Republican legislators appealed the ruling. The 4th District Court of Appeals ruled that witnesses need only provide enough information so that election clerks can identify and communicate with them.