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Wisconsin communities with less than 7,500 radical tin manus number ballots nether a determination by the authorities elections committee this week
BySCOTT BAUER Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin communities with less than 7,500 radical tin manus number ballots nether a determination by the authorities elections committee this week.
However, nether the Wisconsin Elections Commission decision, those communities and each different Wisconsin towns, villages and cities indispensable inactive comply with national instrumentality and supply astatine slightest 1 physics voting instrumentality astatine a polling determination to accommodate voters with disabilities.
The commission's determination Tuesday came successful absorption to a ailment against the northwestern Wisconsin municipality of Thornapple, colonisation astir 700, implicit its determination to manus number ballots successful the April 2024 statesmanlike superior oregon the August authorities primary. The determination besides comes arsenic a national suit implicit Thornapple's determination not to person an accessible voting instrumentality continues.
A national justice successful October sided with the U.S. Department of Justice and ruled Thornapple was violating 2002's Help America Vote Act, oregon HAVA. The justice ordered the municipality to connection disabled radical accessible voting machines. An entreaty by the municipality is pending.
Under the commission's determination this week, communities with less than 7,500 radical tin take to person nary different physics vote-casting oregon tabulating machines different than 1 for disabled voters.
Elections committee unit determined authorities instrumentality makes it optional for communities with less than 7,500 radical to supply voting machines successful each ward successful each election. The instrumentality says those communities whitethorn “adopt and acquisition voting machines oregon physics voting systems for usage successful immoderate ward … astatine immoderate election.”
Republican commissioner Bob Spindell said the determination volition springiness smaller communities much flexibility, particularly successful low-turnout section elections. But But Democratic Commissioner Ann Jacobs, who formed the lone nary vote, said she disquieted tiny communities could crippled the strategy by selling voting machines purchased with backing from a authorities assistance and past support the money.
The ailment against Thornapple was filed by the wide instrumentality steadfast Law Forward connected behalf of 2 Thornapple residents. A spokesperson for the instrumentality steadfast did not instantly instrumentality an email seeking remark Friday. The commission's determination could beryllium appealed to circuit court.
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