In a 4-3 decision made along Party lines, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has blocked municipal clerks from mailing out absentee ballots just one week before the legal deadline to do so, CNN reports. More than one million Wisconsinites have requested absentee ballots.
The court claims its decision is based on the need to wait until the court decides if the Green Party should be included on ballots, the subject of an outstanding case before the state supreme court.
According to state law, absentee ballots must be mailed by 1,850 municipal clerks by September 18th. The delay by the court will require these clerks to print and mail ballots upon the court’s ruling, which will not occur this week.
According to CNN, one clerk said it “will not be attainable” to meet the deadline if the court says ballots need to be re-printed. Another said it was “unfair” for the court to put clerks in this position so close to the deadline. Others said it would be expensive to re-print ballots at this late stage, and one clerk warned of widespread “voter confusion,” saying, “we are too far in the process for this to occur.”
Approximately 37% of the ballots had already been printed and ready for mailing by clerks around the state.