The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a case brought by Republicans aiming to prevent the use of mobile voting vans in the state, specifically in the presidential battleground area. The controversy stems from the use of a single van in Racine during the 2022 election, which facilitated absentee voting in the two weeks leading up to the election. Racine, along with the Democratic National Committee and others, contends that state law does not prohibit the use of voting vans for this purpose.
The court’s decision on the matter will not impact the November election since a ruling is not expected until later, and no towns or cities requested alternative voting locations in time for this election cycle. However, the ruling will have implications for future elections and determine the eligibility of mobile voting sites.
Republicans argue that operating mobile voting sites goes against state law, increases the risk of voter fraud with their repeated use, and suggests that the van in Racine was deployed to boost Democratic turnout. Wisconsin law prohibits early voting sites from favoring any political party and mandates that they be located “as near as practicable” to the clerk’s office.
Racine’s city Clerk Tara McMenamin defended the use of the van, citing a goal of increasing voting accessibility for eligible voters while complying with federal law. The van was purchased using grant money from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, a move that has drawn criticism from Republicans who refer to the funds as “Zuckerbucks.”
Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment in April banning the use of private funds to aid in running elections. Despite allegations from Racine County Republican Party Chairman Ken Brown and subsequent legal actions, the state Supreme Court upheld a ruling that mobile voting sites are not allowed under current election laws. This decision was made prior to the November election, preserving the rules in place since 2016 for selecting early voting sites.
