A Wisconsin judge has denied the request from liberals to allow absentee ballots with an incomplete witness signature to be counted in the upcoming midterms, saying that such an allowance would cause significant disruption to the election process, especially with Election Day less than two weeks away.

Wisconsin’s League of Women Voters had requested that election officials be permitted to count absentee ballots without a complete witness signature present. However, Dane County Circuit Judge Nia Trammell said that this request would “upend the status quo and not preserve it,” adding that it would “frustrate the electoral process by causing confusion.”

Trammell added that if she approved this request, it would almost certainly be appealed and overturned right away.

“This court does not want to add to the confusion that may arise from a temporary injunction that would all but certainly be appealed on an expedited basis,” Trammell said.

This ruling pleased the Republican-controlled state Legislature, which has passed bills since 2020 to make absentee voting more difficult, but all have been vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.