Early voting limits in Wisconsin axed

MADISON, Wis. — A federal judge Thursday struck down early voting restrictions that Wisconsin Republicans adopted in a December lame-duck legislative session, saying the limits mirror restrictions he blocked two years ago.

Republicans voted in December to limit in-person early voting to no more than two weeks before an election. The move came after a difficult midterm election in November in which the overwhelmingly Democratic cities of Madison and Milwaukee held early voting for six weeks — far longer than in smaller and more conservative communities.

The GOP lost every statewide race in November’s midterm election but retained majorities in the Legislature and quickly convened the lame-duck session to pass bills that Gov. Scott Walker could sign before leaving office.

Walker and Republicans argued that the early voting window should be uniform across the state.

U.S. District Judge James Peterson blocked similar two-week early voting restrictions in 2016. State attorneys have asked the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse Peterson.

The appellate court has yet to rule, but Peterson wrote Thursday that he can still enforce his own orders in the 2016 ruling. He said the lame-duck early voting restrictions clearly mimic the limits he blocked in 2016.