Wisconsin judge blocks absentee ballot spoiling

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin judge is prohibiting voters from canceling their original absentee ballot and casting a new one, siding with a conservative group that said the practice known as ballot spoiling is illegal.

The ruling Wednesday from a Waukesha County judge who was a former Republican attorney general comes as voters in the battleground state are submitting their absentee ballots for the Nov. 8 election.

Restoring Integrity and Trust in Elections filed the lawsuit last month.

It challenged the guidance issued on Aug. 1 to more than 1,800 local election clerks by the state elections commission detailing how they can spoil an absentee ballot at the request of a voter.