Today’s decision by the Wisconsin Elections Commission to prematurely end its investigation into Green Bay’s unprecedented twice-in-three-months ‘extra ballots’ crisis is disappointing. While welcomed, the resignation of the official in charge when these mistakes occurred is not sufficient.
News
Paul Clement for CEC: SCOTUS Must Confirm NVRA Requires Public Transparency in List Maintenance
In CEC’s latest SCOTUS amicus brief, noted advocate and former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement urges the Court to grant review in PILF v. Nago, a case concerning the NVRA’s public-inspection requirement. The 9th Circuit’s decision excludes statewide voter-registration lists from the NVRA’s transparency mandate. CEC explains why public access to voter rolls is essential to the NVRA’s purposes and why SCOTUS review is important for confidence in elections for voters across the political spectrum.
CEC Encourages Georgia to Adopt Ballot Secrecy Reforms
CEC submitted comments to the Georgia State Election Board concerning proposed amendments to Rule 183-1-11-.01 governing ballot secrecy, accessible voting equipment, ballot rescanning, and electronic ballot-image identifiers.
At CEC’s Urging, Kansas Court of Appeals Upholds Fusion Voting Ban
The Kansas Court of Appeals upheld the state’s longstanding prohibition on “fusion voting”, as CEC urged in its amicus brief. The Court rejected a constitutional challenge brought by United Kansas that sought to allow a single candidate to appear on the general-election ballot as the nominee of multiple parties. United Kansas has been seen widely as a test case for a broad effort to challenge fusion-voting bans nationwide.
CEC in the News: WVIA News Reports on Lackawanna County Consent Decree
WVIA News (Scranton, Pa.) highlighted the successful resolution of Kopecki v. Lackawanna County, reporting that the County agreed as part of a consent decree to adopt comprehensive written election procedures, strengthen ballot quality-control measures, and expand election-worker training after ballot failures prevented Eugene Kopecki from voting in the 2025 primary. CEC supported Mr. Kopecki in this litigation. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania will maintain jurisdiction over the matter for at least three years.
CEC in the News: FOX56 Highlights Election Reforms Secured in Lackawanna County Settlement
FOX56/WOLF-TV (Scanton, Pa.) reported on the successful resolution of Kopecki v. Lackawanna County, reporting that the County agreed as part of a consent decree to develop a comprehensive written election procedures manual and strengthen quality-control measures following the 2025 ballot errors. CEC supported Eugene Kopecki, the plaintiff, in this suit to protect voting rights in Pennsylvania.
Victory for the Electoral Process in Scranton
CEC is pleased to announce a consent decree involving the County of Lackawanna, the County Board of Elections, and the County Department of Elections and Voter Registration and its Director, Elizabeth Hopkins, to prevent the recurrence of ballot issues seen in the 2025 primary election, when voters were disenfranchised by the county’s mailing of incorrect absentee and mail-in ballots.
North Carolina Moves to Adopt CEC Recommendations for Election Reforms
Earlier in July, CEC submitted four comments to the North Carolina State Board of Elections. CEC is pleased that NCSBE adopted many of CEC’s recommendations in the final version of each rule and thanks the Board for its diligent review.
CEC in the News: KRNV-TV: Nonprofit offers help to Carson City officials after repeated ballot errors
KRNV-TV/News4 (Reno, Nev.) covered CEC’s letter to Carson City officials following repeated ballot errors, including the June 2026 omission of multiple candidates from the primary ballot.
CEC Commends WEC and Green Bay for Placing City Clerk on Leave Pending State Investigation into Election Irregularities
Following the non-partisan CEC’s efforts to draw attention to the matter and offer its assistance, the Wisconsin Election Commission voted unanimously to open an investigation into Green Bay’s mishandling of absentee ballots for the April and August elections, and the City placed Clerk Celestine Jeffries on leave, calling the duplicate ballot errors “unacceptable”.