A federal judge in Wisconsin threw out a lawsuit that aimed to remove the witness requirement for absentee ballots.
The lawsuit, brought forth by the law firm of Democratic election attorney Marc Elias, aimed to cancel the need for witnesses for voters who submit absentee ballots, arguing it breached the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In a harshly critical decision, U.S. District Judge James Peterson stated that the requirement “simply doesn’t make sense.”
“Under plaintiffs’ interpretation, every witness would have to determine the voter’s age, residence, citizenship, criminal history, whether the voter is unable or unwilling to vote, whether the voter has voted at another location or is planning to do so, whether the voter is capable of understanding the objective of the voting process, whether the voter is under a guardianship, and, if so, whether a court has determined that the voter is competent,” he wrote.
Derek Lyons, president of Restore Integrity and Trust in Elections (RITE), celebrated the ruling as a victory, characterizing it as a failed attempt by liberal activists to undermine the integrity of America’s electoral system.
Since its founding in 2022, RITE has been extremely active in Wisconsin