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FACT BRIEF

Can disabled Wisconsin voters have someone help them with voting?

By Tom Kertscher
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YES

The Wisconsin Elections Commission says: “If you need help marking your ballot on Election Day, you may take anyone you choose with you into the voting booth, except your employer or your labor union representative.”

Voters can get help if they have problems reading or writing, or with the English language, or can't mark the ballot.

All polling places must also fulfill any requests from voters who want to vote without leaving their vehicle. Voters may also request additional accommodations from their local municipal clerk, the commission says.

Disabled voters who cast absentee ballots can get help filling out, and mailing or returning, their ballots.

The Associated Press reported in the days leading up to the April 4 election that some local election officials were incorrectly telling disabled voters they couldn’t have another person return their absentee ballot for them.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
State of Wisconsin Accessible Voting
State of Wisconsin Curbside Voting
State of Wisconsin Assisting Voters with Disabilities
State of Wisconsin Guidance on Absentee Ballot Return Options Under the Federal Voting Rights Act
AP News Disabled Wisconsin voters say absentee law not followed
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.