What did the Wisconsin judge rule about absentee ballots?

Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell ruled Wisconsin’s paper-only absentee ballots discriminate against disabled voters by denying them the equal opportunity to vote privately and independently. The decision does not order electronic ballots but sets the stage for a future trial.

Who brought the lawsuit against Wisconsin’s absentee voting system?

The lawsuit was filed in 2024 by Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters, and four disabled voters. They argued the lack of an electronic voting option violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and their right to independence and privacy.

Which voters in Wisconsin currently receive electronic absentee ballots?

Wisconsin currently allows electronic absentee ballots only for military and overseas voters. The judge’s ruling does not extend this option to disabled voters, though he previously suggested voters who self-certify they cannot mark paper ballots could request electronic ones.

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Politics19 outlets ran this5 min read

Judge finds Wisconsin absentee voting discriminates against disabled voters

Q: Will electronic absentee ballots be available for the November 2026 election?

No. Judge Everett Mitchell declined to order electronic ballots, and a trial is unlikely to be resolved before the November 2026 election. A hearing is scheduled for 12 August 2026 to set a potential trial date.

Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell ruled the state’s paper-only system denies equal opportunity but stopped short of ordering electronic ballots

MediaBias Comparison Desk

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This article was written at the MediaBias News desk from the one-paragraph digests an aggregator publishes for each of the outlets listed below it, together with 2 of those outlets' own reports read in full. How we do it

5 Aug 2026, 01:46Updated 5 Aug 2026, 01:46

Judge finds Wisconsin absentee voting discriminates against disabled voters

What this story says

Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell ruled Wisconsin’s paper-only absentee ballots deny disabled voters equal opportunity to vote privately and independently.
The judge did not order electronic ballots, deferring to a future trial that will likely occur after the November 2026 election.
The lawsuit was filed in 2024 by Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters, and four disabled voters, with the Republican-controlled Legislature opposing it.
A hearing is scheduled for 12 August 2026 to set a potential trial date.

Who covered it

Left 42%(8)Centre 53%(10)Right 5%(1)

Percentages are shares of the 19 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured 5 Aug 2026, 02:30.

Trust

82/100

Craft

60/100

Hype

20/100

19 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

Only 1 of the 19 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

A Wisconsin judge ruled on 4 August 2026 that the state’s absentee voting system discriminates against disabled voters. Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell found the requirement to complete and return paper ballots denies them the equal opportunity to vote privately and independently. The decision stems from a lawsuit filed in 2024 by Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters, and four disabled voters.

Mitchell declined to order elections officials to offer electronic ballots, citing unresolved disputes over whether such a program would be a reasonable remedy. The judge noted concerns about implementation difficulties and risks. The Republican-controlled Legislature is contesting the lawsuit, and a hearing is set for 12 August 2026 to determine a potential trial date. The case is unlikely to be resolved before the November 2026 election.

Wisconsin currently allows electronic absentee ballots only for military and overseas voters. Neither the plaintiffs nor the Wisconsin Elections Commission provided estimates of how many disabled voters might request electronic ballots if the option were available.

What the coverage left out

None of the digests from the right-rated outlet mentioned the judge’s earlier temporary injunction in 2024 or the appeals court’s reversal of that ruling. The centre-rated digests did not include the plaintiffs’ argument that the lack of an electronic option violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The left-rated digests did not mention that Wisconsin currently allows electronic absentee ballots for military and overseas voters.

Tags:#DisabilityRights #WisconsinElections #AbsenteeVoting #USPolitics #VotingRights

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 5 Aug 2026, 02:46, and will add the sides that appear.

How other outlets pictured it

Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.

Signs are displayed outside a polling place, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) — Associated Press NewsLeft

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

8 rated outlets

The nine left-rated digests led on the judge’s finding that Wisconsin’s absentee voting system discriminates against disabled voters. They included the judge’s statement that the paper-only system denies them the equal opportunity to vote privately and independently, as reported by the Associated Press. The digests also noted the lawsuit was brought by Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters, and four disabled voters in 2024.
The Associated Press’s full report, carried by outlets in this group, quoted the judge’s ruling verbatim: “the equal opportunity to vote absentee privately and independently.” It also detailed the plaintiffs’ argument that the lack of an electronic option violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The report included the judge’s earlier temporary injunction in 2024, which was later reversed by an appeals court.

Centre

10 rated outlets

The eight centre-rated digests led on the judge’s ruling that the state’s absentee ballot program discriminates against disabled voters. They included the judge’s refusal to order electronic ballots, as reported by Washington Top News. The digests noted the Republican-controlled Legislature is opposing the lawsuit and that a hearing is scheduled for 12 August 2026.
Washington Top News’s full report quoted the judge’s reasoning for not ordering electronic ballots, including the difficulty of instituting such a program and the risks involved. It also noted that under the judge’s previous ruling, voters who self-certify they cannot read or mark a paper ballot without help would be eligible to request an electronic ballot. The report mentioned that absentee ballots are currently emailed only to military and overseas voters.

Right

1 rated outlet

The single right-rated digest, from the Washington Examiner, led on the judge’s ruling that the state’s absentee voting system discriminates against disabled voters by denying them the ability to cast ballots privately and independently. It noted the judge did not order election officials to offer electronic absentee ballots before the November 2026 election. The digest included that the lawsuit was filed by Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters, and four disabled voters in 2024.

Read it at the source

19 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

Centre

Show 2 more

Right

WI judge rules paper absentee ballots discriminate against disabled voters (opens Washington Examiner in a new tab)
Washington Examiner — is Washington Examiner biased? Our profile of this outlet4 Aug 2026, 21:22

Not rated

No outlet in this group ran the story.

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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