Wisconsin
Wisconsin appeals court largely affirms lower court ruling to count absentee ballots with address variations
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Thursday mostly upheld a lower court’s decision that prevents the rejection of absentee ballots with address variations for upcoming elections. This decision is expected to reduce the number of ballot rejections in the state.
The legal dispute deals with interpreting an absentee ballot witness’s address, which involved a January 2024 ruling that impacted absentee ballots in the state. Under Wisconsin law, absentee ballots require completion in the presence of a witness, who would then sign it and provide their address. The state law notes that it is a requirement that an absent ballot certificate include the address of a witness to be counted. Further, if the certificate is completed improperly or does not include a certificate, verification should be sent by a municipal clerk to the witness for correction. Various groups such as Rise Inc., a youth engagement organization, criticized the requirements for the witness address to be a requisite to ballot validity.
The unanimous three-judge appeals panel’s ruling requires that witnesses’ certificates include a sufficient address to identify where the witness resides and could be reached. The ruling is distinct from the trial court’s standard, which established that an address is only deemed sufficient if it could allow a “member of the community” to reasonably locate the witness rather than relying on the municipal clerk.
Rise argued against the legislative definition. In their argument, they requested a broader language that accommodates unique address situations, such as the mobility of college students. They also argued that the discretion should remain in the hands of municipal clerks rather than a “reasonable person in the community.” Further, the strict criteria imposed by the Wisconsin legislature included the street name, street number, and municipality name even though “address” had not been defined under state law.
Absentee voting remains a contentious partisan issue for states during the election seasons. Last week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that absentee ballot drop boxes could be used ahead of the November general election. This ruling reversed a 2022 decision, which did not regard dropping off an absent ballot as a return to a municipal clerk. A federal judge in Mississippi is currently grappling with the decision of whether to count mail-in ballots for up to five days after the election. Although mail-in voting had been temporarily permitted during the pandemic, states are now reevaluating their legislation on the matter.
Wisconsin has dealt with similar electoral hurdles aside from absentee ballots. Just last December, in a 4-3 decision, the state’s highest court ruled that the current electoral map violated the state’s constitution. In the court’s order, it required that the district boundary lines be redrawn prior to the 2024 election season.
Thursday’s decision will impact the upcoming state primary in August and the general election in November.
With the action-packed Wisconsin high school boys basketball regular season completed and March Madness beginning, it’s time to take a look at some of the outstanding players and cast your vote for the best.
We began by looking at the most prolific individual scoring threats, talented 3-point shooters,strong rebounders, and top free-throw shooters so now it’s time to take a look at the high-caliber guards from throughout the state.
There are hundreds of high-caliber boys basketball players in Wisconsin, and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive.
Voting remains open until March 9 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
(Players are listed in alphabetical order and all nominees are leaders from the 2025-26 season as compiled by Bound.com, and WIAA; the poll is below the list of athletes)
Castillo is averaging 25.4 points per game with 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals for Greendale (18-6 overall record).
Collien is averaging 15 points per game with 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists for Oakfield (21-3 overall record).
Edwards is averaging 14.1 points per game with 7.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists for D.C. Everest (21-3 overall record).
Gray Jr. was averaging 24.3 points per game with 6.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals prior for West Allis Central (22-2 overall record).
Hereford is averaging 36.4 points per game with 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 4.1 steals for Beloit Memorial (22-2 overall record).
Johnson is averaging 27.3 points per game with 8.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 steals for Milwaukee Juneau (22-1 overall record).
Jones is averaging 23.3 points per game with 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.6 steals for Germantown (15-9 overall record).
Kern is averaging 16 points per game with 6.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists for New Berlin West (21-3 overall record).
Kilgore is averaging 14.6 points per game with 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.0 steals for Kewaunee (24-0 overall record).
Kohnen is averaging 16.3 points per game with 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals for Slinger (20-4 overall record).
Knueppel is averaging 17.4 points per game with 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.4 steals for Wisconsin Lutheran (24-0 overall record).
Loose is averaging 18.2 points per game with 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals for Port Washington (23-1 overall).
Manchester is averaging 35.8 points per game for Mount Horeb (19-5 overall record).
Platz is averaging 19.5 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists, and 1.4 steals for Brookfield East (19-5 overall record).
Prochnow is averaging 21.3 points per game with 11.1 assists, 4.8 assists, and 3.2 steals for Reedsville (21-3 overall record).
Resch is averaging 21.3 points per game with 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals for Arrowhead (18-6 overall record).
Schultz is averaging 27.4 points per game with 6.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.0 steals for Plymouth (17-7 overall record).
Schwalbach is averaging 15 points per game with 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals for Kaukauna (21-3 overall).
Sweeney is averaging 15.5 points per game for Appleton North (20-4 overall record).
Vandenberg is averaging 13 points per game with 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds for Freedom (23-1 overall).
About Our Player Poll Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
— Jeff Hagenau | jeffreyhagenau@gmail.com
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