Wisconsin judge bars absentee voters from recasting ballots after candidate shuffle

NOTUS—A Wisconsin judge ruled that voters who already cast an absentee ballot in the state's gubernatorial primary cannot request a replacement, even after a late shuffle in the Democratic candidate field left some ballots effectively outdated. The ruling specifically affects Democratic primary voters, since the party's candidate lineup changed after many absentee ballots had already gone out. Election officials argued that allowing recasts at this stage would strain the state's ballot-tracking systems and open the door to disputes over which vote counts. The decision leaves affected voters locked into choices made before the field was finalized, a scenario likely to draw a legal challenge given Wisconsin's history of contested election procedures.

• NOTUS — ruling specifically hits Democratic primary voters ahead of the gubernatorial contest
• Washington Examiner — the shuffle in question: a candidate swap that left absentee ballots outdated
• Washington Times — Wisconsin judge says voters who have returned absentee ballot for state primary cannot get a new one
• PBS NewsHour — Wisconsin judge blocks voters from replacing cast absentee ballots
• Associated Press — Wisconsin judge says voters who have returned absentee ballot for state primary cannot get a new one