The Wisconsin Supreme Court announced on Friday that it would consider whether mobile voting sites are legal, bypassing the appellate court system for direct review. This decision comes after a lawsuit initiated by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on behalf of Racine County Republican Party Chair Ken Brown. The lawsuit claims that Racine city officials unlawfully used a voting van to collect absentee ballots in the previous election year.
In January, a circuit judge determined that state law does not permit the operation of mobile voting sites, prompting Racine City Clerk Tara McMenamin and the Democratic National Committee to petition the state Supreme Court for a review directly, skipping lower appellate courts.
This move was made more significant by Justice Janet Protasiewicz’s 2023 election victory, which shifted the court’s balance, giving liberals a 4-3 majority. Subsequently, in March, Ken Brown requested that Justice Protasiewicz recuse herself from the case due to perceived biases, which she declined.
The justices voted 4-3 to accept the case, with all three conservative justices dissenting. Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, a conservative, criticized the decision to expedite the case, suggesting that the majority liberal justices are attempting to influence political outcomes favorable to Democrats as the November elections approach.
This decision sets the stage for a pivotal ruling on the legality of mobile voting sites in Wisconsin, an issue that has sparked considerable controversy and debate over voting accessibility and electoral integrity in the Badger State.
