National Voting-Focused Liberal Law Firm Asking Judge to Eliminate Absentee Voting Witness Requirement

Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

(Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) A national voting-focused liberal law firm is turning to a federal judge in an effort to eliminate a requirement for Wisconsin voters to have a witness sign absentee ballot envelopes in order for the votes to count.

According to Hope Karnopp with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Elias Law Group filed a lawsuit in the Western District U.S. District Court on Monday that argues the state law violates the federal Voting Rights Act, which prohibits requiring voters to prove their qualifications in order to vote.

The federal lawsuit follows a similar challenge the group brought to the Wisconsin Supreme Court earlier this year following Justice Janet Protasiewicz's election in April, which flipped the court to liberal control. Requiring absentee voters to state their qualifications and having the witness attest to those qualifications is a violation of the law, the group argued.

"The mere act of complying with the requirement is a substantial burden on Plaintiffs’ right to vote," the complaint said. "The largest share of absentee ballot rejections occurs in Wisconsin’s largest municipalities, which are also the municipalities that have the largest shares of minority voters, recently naturalized voters and student voters."

The complaint was made on behalf of four Wisconsin voters who find it difficult to get a witness due to circumstances like health risks, living alone or frequently traveling overseas.

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