威斯康星州民主党向州选举委员会提出请求，要求允许已提交缺席票的选民重新投票[1]。此举源于初选期间多名候选人的身份变化，包括副州长Sara Rodriguez结束竞选以及另一候选人David Crowley重新参选[1]，这些变动导致超过80,000张已提交的缺席票可能作废[1]。
初选定于8月11日举行，距离该请求仅三周时间[1]。威斯康星选举委员会早前已以4:2的投票结果否决了允许缺席选民获得新选票的建议[1]。目前有5名民主党候选人积极竞选州长[1]。
民主党基于2006年最高法院判决为其立场辩护，主张选举规则不应在选举临近时改变[1]。民主党主席Devin Remiker表示："一些选民将无法真正参与我们的民主初选过程"[1]。
共和党对此提出反对意见。共和党主席Brian Schimming声称："选举法不应改变以挽救一方免受自身行为的后果"[1]。
根据历史数据，从2018年中期选举至2022年初选期间，不到1%的投票来自投出新缺席票后作废前一张票的选民[1]。
Wisconsin Democrats have asked the state elections commission to permit voters who have already submitted absentee ballots to cast new ones, citing significant changes in the primary race that could render over 80,000 submitted ballots invalid [1]. The request comes as multiple candidates have withdrawn from or re-entered the gubernatorial primary, with the August 11 primary election just three weeks away at the time of the request [1].
Vice Governor Sara Rodriguez ended her campaign before August 9, while another candidate, David Crowley, re-entered the race [1]. Currently, five Democratic candidates are actively competing for the nomination for governor [1].
The Wisconsin Elections Commission had previously voted 4-2 earlier in the month to block voters who had already cast absentee ballots from obtaining new ones [1]. Democrats argue their request aligns with a 2006 state Supreme Court decision holding that election rules should not change as Election Day approaches [1].
However, the proposal faces Republican opposition. Democratic Party Chair Devin Remiker stated that "some voters will be unable to truly participate in our democratic primary process" [1]. Republican Party Chair Brian Schimming countered that "election law should not be changed to save one party from the consequences of its own actions" [1].
Historical data shows that between the 2018 midterm elections and the 2022 primary, fewer than 1 percent of votes came from voters who cast a new absentee ballot and invalidated a previous one [1].