Celebrating Two Wins for Wisconsin Voters!
As threats to our democracy mount, Law Forward is hard at work. We’re in the middle of an unusually intensive effort to protect the vote this year, both in state and federal court, and wanted to update you on a few cases.
Law Forward, ACLU, Common Cause protect Wisconsin voters’ private data from Trump administration lawsuit
In April, Law Forward and the American Civil Liberties Union filed a brief on behalf of Common Cause and individual Wisconsin voters urging the federal court in Madison to dismiss a Trump administration lawsuit demanding Wisconsin hand over the complete, unredacted electronic voter registration list of every voter in the state, which includes sensitive personal data the state is prohibited by law from disclosing.
“This is nothing more than an illegal attempt by the administration to gather and weaponize data on Americans. Our court filings urge the judge to reject this effort, and we are proud to stand with Wisconsin voters in opposing this overreach by the federal government,” said Law Forward’s Doug Poland.
On May 21, U.S. District Judge James Peterson dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice effort with prejudice, meaning the case cannot be refiled by the federal government. Read our press release here.
Law Forward lawsuit ensured 23 Spring election ballots were included in final state-wide canvass
Law Forward filed a lawsuit in May in Dane County Circuit Court on behalf of two Madison voters whose legally cast absentee ballots were counted on Election Day, but then ordered thrown out by the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) weeks later. The plaintiffs are among 23 Madison voters whose votes WEC ordered to be excluded from the spring election results on April 30, after determining that the Madison City Clerk’s Office delivered their ballots to their respective polling places minutes after polls closed on April 7.
In this case, the voters themselves did everything right. They requested, completed, and returned their ballots well before the election, and their votes were properly counted by city and county election officials. The lawsuit details that the late delivery was the clerk’s error, not theirs, and that they should not be disenfranchised because of it. Fortunately, Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell agreed, and he ordered that the votes be counted right before the final state canvass on Friday. Learn more from WPR here.
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As threats to our democracy mount, Law Forward is stepping up with multiple filings in federal and state courts. But we can’t fight on behalf of Wisconsin voters without the support of friends like you! Please consider making a donation today to support this critical work.
By: Mary Bottari, Director of Strategic Partnerships. May 21, 2026.