Wisconsin
GOP lawmakers in Wisconsin appeal ruling allowing disabled people to obtain ballots electronically
By TODD RICHMOND, Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican legislators in battleground state Wisconsin on Friday appealed a ruling that allows disabled people to download absentee ballots at home in November’s presidential election.
Disability Rights Wisconsin the League of Women Voters and four disabled voters sued in April demanding disabled people be allowed to download absentee ballots at home and return them to local clerks via email this fall.
Currently in Wisconsin anyone can cast a paper absentee ballot but they must return them in-person to local election clerks or mail them back. Anyone could request an absentee ballot electronically until 2011, when then-Gov. Scott Walker signed a Republican-authored bill that allowed only military and overseas voters to use that method. Those voters still must mail their ballots back just like in-state absentee voters.
The plaintiffs argued in their lawsuit that many people with disabilities can’t cast paper ballots without assistance, compromising their right to cast a secret ballot, and struggle to return ballots through the mail or in-person. The lawsuit seeks a ruling allowing disabled people to download absentee ballots, cast them at home using assistive devices and return them to clerks via email in the Aug. 13 primary and the November presidential election.
Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell granted a temporary injunction on Tuesday that allows clerks to send voters who self-certify that they can’t read or mark a paper ballot without help ballots electronically in the November election. They will still have to return the ballots in-person or by mail, however.
GOP legislators filed notice of appeal Friday in the 2nd District Court of Appeals in Waukesha, which leans heavily Republican. The lawmakers indicated that they plan to argue that Mitchell improperly granted the injunction because the plaintiffs are unlikely to win the lawsuit and failed to show they’d suffer irreparable harm without the order. They also plan to argue that Mitchell wrongly disrupted the status quo just months before the election.
Doug Poland, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, declined to comment on the filing Friday afternoon.
Questions over who can cast absentee ballots and how have become a political flashpoint in Wisconsin, where four of the past six presidential elections have been decided by less than a percentage point.
More than 30 states allow certain voters to return their ballots either by fax, email or an online portal, according to data collected by the National Conference of State Legislatures and Verified Voting, a nonpartisan group that studies state voting systems. The method has expanded in recent years to include disabled voters in a dozen states. Experts have warned, however, that electronic ballot return carries risks of ballots being intercepted or manipulated and should be used sparingly.
Disabled people have engaged in several legal battles in recent years over access to the polls, as many Republican-led states have restricted how and when people can vote. Among the issues they have fought are limits on the types of assistance a voter can receive and whether someone else can return a voter’s mailed ballot.
Nearly 100,000 Wisconsin adults suffer from vision difficulties, according to statistics compiled by state health officials. A little more than 307,000 adults have difficulty moving, including difficulty walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying things.
A Dane County judge issued a temporary injunction Tuesday that allows disabled people to download ballots in the November presidential election but still requires them to return the ballots in-person or by mail. GOP lawmakers filed notice of appeal Friday, indicating they plan to argue the plaintiffs are unlikely to win the lawsuit harmed and the injunction disrupts the status quo just months before the election.
Copyright 2024 WBAY. All rights reserved.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 1, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 1 drawing
16-21-27-41-61, Mega Ball: 24
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 1 drawing
Midday: 8-3-1
Evening: 0-8-0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 1 drawing
Midday: 4-5-0-8
Evening: 7-8-4-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from May 1 drawing
Midday: 01-02-03-05-07-10-11-14-15-16-17
Evening: 02-03-05-06-10-11-13-16-18-20-22
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from May 1 drawing
04-09-11-19-21
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from May 1 drawing
16-18-21-22-28-29, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – The Wisconsin Lottery announced an exceptional number of winners from Wednesday’s Powerball drawing, including new millionaires from ticket sales in Pulaski, De Pere and Kaukauna.
The lottery says there were four $1 million winning tickets and two more that won the $1 million prize with the 2X multiplier, making those worth $2 million.
The tickets matched all 5 regular numbers but not the Powerball:
03-19-35-51-67
Powerball: 15
The $1 million tickets were sold at:
- True North Energy, 113 S. Wisconsin, Pulaski
- De Pere Mini Mart Citgo, 821 George St., De Pere
- Mobil, 1005 Crooks Ave., Kaukauna
- Pick N Save, 6462 S. 27th St., Oak Creek
The $2 million tickets were sold in northern and western Wisconsin:
- Brite Spot 2, 109 Silver St., Hurley
- BP, 810 W. Wisconsin St., Sparta
The Wisconsin Lottery says one explanation for the large number of winners is that those five regular numbers are all in the same column on the paper slip, making it easy for players to pick their own numbers going down the line.
Wednesday’s Powerball drawing had a total 62 million-dollar winners and another 27 $2 million winners.
Two tickets matched all five plus the Powerball. Those tickets, sold in Indiana and Kansas, will split the $143 million jackpot.
Including the new millionaires (minus taxes, of course), Wisconsin had 5,637 winners in the Powerball drawing, with prizes ranging from $4 to $2 million.
Winners can learn how to claim their prizes on the Wisconsin Lottery website.
Retailers will receive 2% of the prizes over $599 sold at their store from the Wisconsin Lottery’s retailer incentive program, up to $100,000.
Copyright 2026 WBAY. All rights reserved.
After a Wisconsin breeding and animal research facility that housed thousands of beagles agreed to sell most of their animals, some of the dogs will be headed to the Chicago area.
After weeks of protests over their treatment of the dogs, Ridglan Farms agreed to sell 1,500 of the facility’s roughly 2,000 beagles.
Activists who have accused Ridglan of mistreating the dogs broke into the facility last month in an effort to remove beagles that were being bred for laboratory testing.
About a month later, hundreds of activists and protesters returned, clashing with police, leading some to be tear gassed and pepper sprayed.
On Thursday, organizations separate from the activist groups reached a deal with Ridglan Farms to purchase 1,500 of the estimated 2,000 beagles housed there, and transfer them to rescue organizations around the country
“Today is about doing what is right for the beagles,” said Lauree Simmons, founder and president of Big Dog Ranch Rescue.
“This is really part of a larger effort to move our nation away from beagle testing, primate testing, and other forms of animal testing,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Center for a Humane Economy.
In a statement, Ridglan farms denied mistreating the beagles, saying they are “happy, healthy and well cared for,” adding “publicly available USDA documentation shows this has been the case for many years.”
Ridglan said they’re in the midst of finalizing arrangements for the remaining 500 dogs.
At PAWS Chicago, the city’s largest no-kill animal shelter, preparations are being made for the arrival of 25 of the beagles purchased from Ridglan Farms.
“I’m so very happy for them to start their next chapter,” said PAWS Chicago head of program operations Celene Mielcarek.
PAWS expects to receive the beagles from Ridglan Farms on Saturday, but it will take some time for them to undergo medical evaluations and adjust before they’re ready for adoption.
“We are going to be spending so much time allowing them to decompress; they’ll arrive at our medical center, they’ll get their initial veterinary exam, and we’re going to get to know each of them,” Mielcarek said.
The dogs will then adapt to home life with foster care before being made available to find permanent families and start their new life, like so many dogs that have come through PAWS before them.
“We want to be nimble and respond to the crisis at hand. Right now, the crisis is helping these beagles learn how to be dogs and find their homes with their families,” Mielcarek said.
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