Democracy Gains Another Step In Wisconsin

Wisconsin law requires that when a person witnesses someone completing their absentee ballot, the witness needs to sign and put their address on the envelope of the ballot.
However, until 2022, election clerks could "cure" absentee ballots by completing a witness's address or other missing information. In 2022, a Waukesha County judge ruled that clerks could not do that anymore. This meant if the witness forgot to dot an "i" or cross a "t", or left a number out of their zip code, the ballot got tossed without being counted.

This ruling, in turn, led to another lawsuit filed by a Madison voter and the pro-democracy group Rise Inc. A Dane County judge ruled in that case that clerks could accept a ballot even if the witness information is incomplete, as long as the clerk could discern how to contact the witness. For example, if John Q. Voter completed an absentee ballot, which was witnessed by Mrs. Jane Q. Voter, who had the same address but forgot her zip code, and they have Ms. Jane Q. Voter registered at the same address, the clerk could figure out they are probably a married couple living together.

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