Courts in two states are restoring sanity and the rule of law with recent moves to reverse partisan decisions putting state election laws in the hands of conservatives. Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court announced it will review a July 2022 decision that limited voters’ flexibility to vote. That decision dictated that the only place ballot drop boxes could be located could be county election offices and the only person allowed to drop off a ballot is the voter named on it.
In North Carolina, a three-judge panel consisting of two Republicans and a Democrat declared unconstitutional a law passed by the Republican legislature’s supermajority last year stripping Democratic Governor Roy Cooper of his appointment power to county election boards, saying the law “infringes upon” the Governor’s constitutional duties and constitutes “the most stark and blatant removal of appointment power” in recent state history.
The ruling means the governor will continue to have three appointees on each county election board, versus just two for Republicans. Republicans passed a law that would have expanded county boards to six members split evenly between the two Parties; critics called the move a blatant attempt to cause deadlocks on election results at a county level, throwing the system in chaos. Republicans plan to appeal the ruling.