A Dane County Circuit judge ruled on Wednesday, July 30th, 2026, that Wisconsin voters cannot request new absentee ballots for the Democratic primary in the governor’s race despite recent candidate changes. Judge David Conway’s decision ended a lawsuit filed by the state’s Democratic Party against the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), which sought to permit absentee voters to submit new ballots due to the shifting list of candidates.

The ruling follows a series of developments in the race: CEO Missy Hughes suspended her campaign in early July, Sara Rodriguez withdrew citing "serious mismanagement and inaccuracies" in her finance filings, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley reentered the race on July 18th after dropping out on July 8th with support from Governor Tony Evers. Mandela Barnes also exited the race, stating on social media that "it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be."

Despite these changes, Judge Conway wrote, “The unambiguous language of the statute does not allow a voter to spoil an absentee ballot after it is returned.” Consequently, the names of Barnes, Hughes, and Rodriguez will remain on the ballot, with more than 117,000 absentee ballots already distributed.

This ruling maintains the status quo for the upcoming Democratic primary in Wisconsin amid a dynamic and evolving candidate field.

Sources