Wisconsin court sets up possible delay in absentee mailing

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Conservative-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday ordered that no absentee ballots be mailed until it gives the go-ahead or makes any future ruling about who should be on the ballot in the critical battleground state.

The order came in a lawsuit filed by Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins. He asked the state’s highest court to take up his challenge of a Wisconsin Elections Commission decision keeping him off the ballot.

Rapper Kanye West, in a separate case, is also trying to get on the ballot after the commission rejected him.

The court, in a 4-3 decision split along ideological lines, said no ballots can be sent immediately. Municipal election clerks face a Sept. 17 deadline to mail ballots. As of Thursday, nearly 1 million absentee ballots had been requested.

The court also asked the elections commission to provide it by 5 p.m. Thursday with information about when and who had requested absentee ballots.