Wisconsin Judge Rules Against Use of Mobile Absentee Voting RV

Racine, Wis (Civic Media) – A Racine County judge has ruled against the use of mobile absentee voting sites, stating that they are not permitted under state law. The decision, made by Racine County Circuit Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz, was a partial victory for Republicans who had contested the use of a mobile voting van in 2022. The Republicans claimed that the van was disproportionately deployed in heavily Democratic voting wards.

Judge Gasiorkiewicz emphasized that there is no authority in the state’s election laws allowing for the use of mobile voting vehicles, referring to it as “a bridge too far.” The controversy stemmed from the van’s deployment in Racine, where Republicans argued that it was illegal and could lead to voter fraud. On the other hand, Democrats defended its usage. The van was initially used in 2022 after the city of Racine obtained it through a grant from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, which is funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife.

The next steps following the ruling are currently being reviewed, and the possibility of an appeal has not been ruled out. The Wisconsin Elections Commission and the state Department of Justice, who represented the commission in the lawsuit, have not yet commented on whether they will appeal the decision. If appealed, the case could ultimately be decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.