PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, August 6, 2026

In victory for voting rights, court rules Wisconsin’s absentee voting system illegally discriminates against voters with print disabilities

This week, Law Forward, Stafford and Rosenbaum LLP, Wilmer Hale LLP representing Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters and four disabled voters, prevailed in a long-running lawsuit regarding the right to vote for Wisconsinites with print disabilities.

The lawsuit, Disability Rights Wisconsin v. Wisconsin Elections Commission, was filed in April of 2024. On Tuesday, Judge Everett Mitchell ruled that the state’s absentee ballot program, which requires voters to ask another person for assistance when completing and returning a paper ballot denies disabled people “the equal opportunity to vote absentee privately and independently” in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Voters with disabilities deserve equality, and the law requires it. We are pleased that the court confirmed Wisconsin’s absentee voting system illegally discriminates against voters with print disabilities,” said Law Forward Staff Counsel Scott Thompson. 

Plaintiffs asked the court to ensure that the Wisconsin Election Commission makes available to these voters an electronic means for requesting, receiving, voting, and returning an absentee ballot. Judge Mitchell ordered a future trial to discuss and determine remedies.

You can read the decision here.

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