Official who posted ‘ballot selfie’ in Wisconsin has felony charge dismissed

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (AP) — A local Wisconsin official who posted a selfie with his marked ballot on Facebook during the April 2022 election has had a felony charge against him dropped. Fifty-two-year-old Mequon-Thiensville School Board member Paul Buzzell had faced maximum penalties of 3 1/2 years behind bars and $10,000 in fines. Ozaukee County Judge Paul Malloy ruled Monday that a state law prohibiting voters from showing anyone else their marked ballot was in violation of the constitutional right to free speech. Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol had brought the charges. He said he would ask the state’s attorney general to review the judge’s decision.