New Absentee Ballot “Witness” Rules Voted Into Effect

(Madison, WI) (AP) The Wisconsin Elections Commission has complied with court orders and voted to tell the more than 1,800 local clerks who run elections in the battleground state that they can accept absentee ballots that are missing parts of a witness’s address. The Wisconsin State Journal reports the commission voted 5-1 Thursday to adopt the new guidance for absentee ballot envelopes with a “missing” address. The Republican-controlled Legislature and the conservative group Priorities USA have appealed a pair of court rulings affecting absentee ballots, which could result in even more changes in election rules prior to the November presidential election. Each of the last two presidential elections in Wisconsin was decided by fewer than 23,000 votes.

Associated Press