A Wisconsin judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit challenging absentee voting rules in the state, arguing that the Wisconsin Elections Commission has not been following state rules for absentee voting. Door County Circuit Judge David Weber delivered an oral ruling that dismissed the case brought by voter Thomas Oldenburg after a hearing that lasted approximately 91 minutes. The court documents did not provide details on Judge Weber’s rationale for the ruling. Lawyers for Mr. Oldenburg and the Wisconsin Elections Commission have not yet responded to the ruling.
Mr. Oldenburg, a resident of Amberg, Wisconsin, filed the lawsuit in February, arguing that the elections commission has not been following state law regarding absentee ballots. The commission required voters who request absentee ballots electronically to “return with the voted ballot a copy of the request bearing an original signature of the elector.” Attorneys for the election commission argued that it was sufficient for voters to sign a form created by the commission for clerks to provide to absentee voters with their ballots.
Wisconsin allows any voter to request paper absentee ballots and file them by mail, but only those serving in the military or living outside the country can receive ballots electronically under state law. A separate order from earlier this year added disabled voters to the list of those eligible to receive electronic ballots.
Wisconsin, a battleground state, has faced challenges to its election rules in recent years. In 2016, former President Donald Trump won the state, but in 2020, President Joe Biden emerged victorious among Wisconsin voters.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
