Judge refuses to allow partial absentee addresses, for now

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Dane County judge for now is refusing to allow local election clerks to accept partial witness addresses on absentee ballots. A group called Rise Inc. filed a lawsuit in September seeking a judicial order requiring the Wisconsin Elections Commission to tell local clerks that they must accept ballots as long as the witness address includes enough information that clerks can reasonably discern where the witness can be contacted. Rise Inc. attorneys asked Judge Juan Colas to issue a temporary order requiring the commission to inform clerks they could accept ballots under those conditions. Colas denied the request during a hearing Friday. The case will continue with a scheduling conference Oct. 17.