Federal Judge Strikes Down Early-Voting Restrictions

U-S District Judge James Peterson has ruled restrictions on early voting violate the injunction he issued two years ago.  The federal judge says the laws passed during last month’s lame-duck legislative session are clearly inconsistent with his earlier ruling.  Republicans moved to limit early voting to the two weeks just before an election, saying that time frame should be uniform across the state.  Democratic cities like Madison and Milwaukee allowed early voting for six weeks — much-longer than it was allowed in smaller and more conservative communities.