A Dane County judge heard arguments Monday in a lawsuit that seeks to make electronic absentee ballots available to Wisconsinites with disabilities.

Disability Rights Wisconsin joined the League of Women Voters in suing the Wisconsin Elections Commission two years ago. Those groups argued that voters with disabilities should be allowed to receive, fill out and return an absentee ballot electronically.

Currently, some disabled Wisconsinites have to rely on help from someone else when filling out a paper absentee ballot. People with print disabilities have difficulty reading print because of issues including visual, cognitive or developmental disabilities.

That violates the right to a secret ballot as guaranteed by the Wisconsin Constitution, attorney Jared Grubow argued on behalf of the plaintiffs.

“The print disabled voters of Wisconsin cannot vote on the same terms as all other Wisconsinites,” Grubow said during a hearing Monday before Judge Everett Mitchell. “That is discrimination.”

In June 2024, Mitchell issued a temporary order in the case, which would have required Wisconsin to send ballots over email to voters with print disabilities ahead of the November 2024 election. That ruling would not have allowed voters to return completed ballots electronically. Instead, they would need to be turned in via mail or at a clerk’s office.

Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled Legislature appealed the lower court order, however, an appeals court halted Mitchell’s earlier ruling.

Attorneys for the people suing pointed to the Americans with Disabilities Act and argued that Wisconsin is required to provide electronic absentee voting options as a “reasonable accommodation,” for people who rely on screen readers and other devices.

But Assistant Wisconsin Attorney General Karla Keckhaver argued that voters with print disabilities already have sufficient options, because they can either vote in person using electronic machines or they can fill out a ballot at home with the help of a caregiver or assistant.

“The ADA says nothing about privacy and independence in voting, and it doesn’t give voters with disabilities the right to vote without an assistant,” she said.

She also argued that electronic ballots would pose cyber-security issues and put “undue financial and administrative burdens” on Wisconsin’s elections officials.

“Wisconsin’s absentee voting program is a paper-based system, and that’s not an empty procedural requirement — it’s fundamental to the security of the program,” she said. “Internet voting is not an existing service that Wisconsin already provides to others.”

There are roughly 110,000 eligible Wisconsin voters with print disabilities, who may be affected by a ruling in the case, Grubow said.

One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Donald Natzke, is blind, and unable to read or mark a paper absentee ballot on his own. He can’t rely on his wife for help because she is blind as well.

That problem would be solved if Natzke had access to an electronic absentee ballot, since he would be able to use a speech synthesizer and other accessibility devices to read that ballot and fill it out in the privacy of his own home, the lawsuit argues.

In theory, Natzke could go to a polling place or early in-person voting location to fill out a ballot using an electronic voting machine. But Grubow said that option is “extremely difficult” in practice.

“Any amount of poor weather, be it wind, rain, ice or snow, makes getting to the polling place very dangerous for Mr. Natzke,” Grubow said Monday.

Currently, Wisconsinites may return absentee ballots via mail or by dropping them off at their local clerk’s office. In some communities, ballot drop boxes are also available for returning those ballots. Additionally, Wisconsinites can fill out out absentee ballots in-person at early voting locations.

But, based on a declaration filed by Wisconsin’s elections administrator, Wisconsin clerks are “encouraged” but not “required” to make sure that accessible voting equipment is available at early voting locations, Grubow said.

“(If) there is no accessible voting machine, they’re going to face the same issues,” Grubow said. “Which is why often a lot of these voters are deterred from doing that and prefer to vote absentee at home.”

During Monday’s hearing, attorneys for both sides said they believed the matter can be resolved without a trial. Earlier this year, lawyers representing the state of Wisconsin filed a motion asking for summary judgement.

If a trek up a faraway mountain won’t fit on your summer to-do list, maybe you can still find time to hike to Wisconsin’s highest point.

That journey would take you up Timm’s Hill in Price County, which stands at nearly 1,952 feet above sea level, according to the State Cartographer’s Office.

Timm’s Hill is nestled in woodlands of north central Wisconsin, just off County Road RR in Ogema. At the summit, hikers can climb an observation tower that offers 30-mile views of the surrounding area, according to Travel Wisconsin.

Highpoint Guide, a website with information on peaks across the country, says Timm’s Hill was named after Timothy Gahan, a late-1800s logger. Gahan often set up camp near the woods surrounding the hill, which now make up Timm’s Hill County Park.

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What to know if you’re visiting Timm’s Hill

Timm’s Hill County Park is open year-round. The park gate is open 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. approximately May through October, and winter parking is available at the intersection of Ring School Road and County Road RR, the Price County website says.

The park has a boat landing and fishing pier, along with picnic shelters and hiking trails. The 10-mile Timm’s Hill National Ice Ace Trail is accessible for hiking, biking and horseback riding and intersects with the statewide Ice Age Trail, which spans over 1,000 miles.

How does Wisconsin’s highest point compare to other states

Timm’s Hill, at 1,952 feet, ranks as the 39th-highest high point among the 50 states, according to Highpoint Guide.

Minnesota and Michigan both rank just above Wisconsin, though Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Ohio all have high points below 1,700 feet. The highest point anywhere in the United States is Alaska’s Mount McKinley, formerly known as Denali, at 20,320 feet.

In Wisconsin, Price County is one of six counties in north central Wisconsin with points above 1,900 feet. Powder Hill and Holy Hill have the highest elevations in the southeastern part of the state at just above 1,300 feet.

The Lake Michigan shoreline boasts the lowest elevation in Wisconsin at just 579 feet above sea level, according to the State Cartographers Office.

RANDALL, Wis. – Two people are in critical condition after a motorcycle crash on the Illinois/Wisconsin state line, according to officials.

Around 3:28 p.m. on Sunday, crews responded to the 12500 block of Fox River Road for reports of a motorcycle crash.

Officials found two people lying in the road. One individual had sustained a significant head injury and was reportedly not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The victim was transported by helicopter to Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in critical condition.

The second victim was transported to Froedtert South Pleasant Prairie in critical but stable condition.

Kenosha County Major Crash Assistance Team is investigating the incident.

The public are reminded to wear helmets while riding motorcycles and urged to use caution during the ongoing road construction in that area.