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The U.S. Department of Justice sued two northern Wisconsin towns on Friday for allegedly not having accessible voting equipment in the April election, seeking additional action against one of the towns as it appeared poised not to use that equipment in the November election, either.
The Justice Department’s action came after officials in two Rusk County towns, Thornapple and Lawrence, voiced distrust of electronic voting equipment and later decided to ban the machines. The department additionally sued the state, which is subject to the requirements of a federal law requiring voting equipment that’s accessible to voters with disabilities in every polling place.
“By failing to offer accessible voting systems, Thornapple and Lawrence shirked their responsibilities under the Help America Vote Act to provide equal access to the ballot for all voters,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.