Rusk County Town Appeals Injunction Requiring Voting Machines

A Rusk County town has filed an appeal of a preliminary injunction requiring them to provide accessible voting machines for the election.

The injunction stems from a lawsuit from the United States Department of Justice against the Town of Thornapple. According to the lawsuit, the town violated the Help America Vote Act by removing access to voting machines and hand counting paper ballots during the April and August primary elections.

The law requires each polling place to be equipped with at least one voting machine that is accessible for voters with disabilities. According to a WPR report, town officials said the decision to remove the machines was related to inaccurate claims of fraud in the 2020 election.

The injunction requires the town to use the machines in the upcoming election and post signage about their availability. The injunction will also remain in effect during the appeals process.

The Rusk County town filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was denied in September. The motion argued that the town was exempt from the law because they did not use any electronic equipment to hand count the ballots. The appeal of that decision was filed with the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

The Department of Justice also targeted another Rusk County town for not providing the accessible voting machines. The Town of Lawrence also voted to stop using the voting machines in 2023, but came to an agreement with the Department of Justice to offer them again for the upcoming election. The Town of Thornapple did not come to a similar agreement.