Wisconsin Supreme Court temporarily blocks absent ballots from mailing one week ahead of schedule

The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s 3-judge decision was divided between partisan lines, with four consensual judges agreeing that the process of sending ballots must be stopped, while three liberal judges disagreed. The possible inclusion of Hawkins as the Green Party’s presidential candidate on the general election ballot could lead to a razor-thin contest between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Voting has already been the subject of legal battles during the epidemic in Wisconsin. The Republicans, who insisted on keeping the state’s April 7 priority on the timetable, won two legal battles in the spring, as the state’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of democratic governance. Tony Evers’ bid to delay was suspended until June and the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s ruling. Voters have six extra days to return their ballot boxes by mail. At least 19 people in Wisconsin who said they voted or voted in person have tested positive for coronavirus that month, according to the state Department of Health.

Nearly 1 million Wisconsin voters have requested ballots, and more than 300,000 of those voters are ready to go to the polls, said Wisconsin State Chief Electoral Officer Migan Wolfe, speaking to reporters. On the media call when the court order came down.

When asked what would happen if judges ordered another candidate to be added to the ballot after it had already been printed, Wolfe said “it would be incredibly complex and difficult.” Wolfe added that clerks from smaller jurisdictions across the state may have already sent some ballots to voters, Wolfe added, although he could not say exactly how many were sent.

The state high court said the Wisconsin Election Commission must notify the court by the end of the day on Thursday whether absent ballots have been sent. The court is seeking the names and addresses of everyone who was mailed on the absentee ballot, as well as the date on which the ballot was mailed. That date and time.

Attorney Jeffrey Mendel, who is representing one of the people who claimed to keep Hawkins off the ballot, said changing the ballot at this stage would impose uncertainty on the already fragile 2020 election process.

“This could lead to unprecedented chaos,” Mendel said.

In 2016, Green Party candidate Jill Stein received 31,072 votes in Wisconsin. That number is more than the margin of 22,748 votes that gave Trump victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the state.