Judge allows disabled voters in Wisconsin to electronically vote from home

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Local election officials in battleground state Wisconsin will be allowed to send absentee ballots to disabled voters electronically in November’s presidential election, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell issued a temporary injunction that allows voters who self-certify that they can’t read or mark a paper ballot without help to request absentee ballots electronically from local clerks. The voters can then cast their ballots at home using devices that help them read and write independently. They will still be required to mail the ballots back to the clerks or return them in person, the same as any other absentee voter in the state.

The injunction is part of a larger lawsuit that Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters and four disabled voters filed in April. The plaintiffs argued in the filing that many people with disabilities can’t cast paper ballots without assistance, compromising their right to cast a secret ballot, and struggle to return ballots through the mail or in-person.

“While we expect the decision to be appealed, this is an exciting day for Plaintiffs and other voters with print disabilities who have been fighting for the dignity of voting like everyone else: privately and independently,” Debra Conmiller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, said in a statement.

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