Wisconsin election board follows court order, votes to accept partial addresses on absentee ballots

 The Wisconsin Elections Commission has complied with court orders and will now tell the over 1,800 local election clerks they can accept absentee ballots that are missing parts of a witness address.

The commission made the move after members voted 5-1 Thursday.

The lone no vote against the new guidance was cast by Republican Commissioner Bob Spindell, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Previously, clerks were required to try to contact voters to correct absentee ballot envelopes that had “incomplete or insufficient” witness address information before accepting such ballots.

Wisconsin law requires absentee ballots to be submitted with a witness’s signature and address on the outside envelope that contains the ballot, according to the Associated Press.

Spindell proposed a failed amendment to the new rule to require a witness to provide a photo ID before corrections are made to an absentee ballot envelope.

In addition, the swing state's Republican-controlled Legislature and the conservative group Priorities USA have appealed two court rulings regarding absentee ballots that could result in more changes in election rules prior to the November presidential election.

Ever since Donald Trump, the leading GOP candidate in the 2024 presidential election, was defeat in Wisconsin in 2020 in his first reelection bid, Republicans have been fighting in court to tighten the rules to limit how many absentee ballots can accepted.