Court rules absentee ballots with minor problems OK to count

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A court has ruled Wisconsin election clerks can accept absentee ballots that contain minor errors such as missing portions of witness addresses. Dane County Circuit Court ruled Tuesday in favor of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin in its lawsuit to clarify voting rights protections for voters whose absentee ballots have minor errors in listing their witnesses’ addresses. The league says the ruling means that absentee ballots with certain technical witness address defects will not be rejected in future elections. A Waukesha County Circuit Court, siding with Republicans, barred the Wisconsin Elections Commission in 2022 from using longstanding guidance for fixing minor witness address problems on absentee ballots without contacting the voter.