AMERICANS FOR CITIZEN VOTING V. WEC

Case Name: Americans for Citizen Voting v. WEC

Type of Case: Constitutional Government

Court: Waukesha County Circuit Court

Case Number: 2026CV000781

Filed On: April 29, 2026

Current Status: WILL filed a complaint and motion for temporary relief on April 29, 2026.

On behalf of Americans for Citizen Voting (ACV), WILL filed a lawsuit seeking an emergency order blocking Wisconsin’s new law restricting who can circulate nomination papers. The law was recently signed by Governor Tony Evers. Based on earlier cases striking down nearly identical laws, Act 126 violates the First Amendment rights of candidates and their supporters to gather signatures on nomination papers.

Meet the Client

WILL represents Americans for Citizen Voting (ACV), a group dedicated to ensuring only citizens vote in elections. ACV was supportive of a recent constitutional amendment that passed in Wisconsin to ban non-citizen participation in our elections.

Background

Act 126 restricts who can circulate nomination papers, making it harder for candidates to qualify for the ballot during the current nomination period, which is open now and runs through June 1, 2026. If allowed to stand, the law sets a precedent for broader regulation of political speech, campaign activity, and grassroots advocacy.

Act 126 substantially burdens core political speech and associational rights protected by the First Amendment by shrinking the pool of available circulators and preventing candidates from associating with out-of-state supporters. Binding precedent in Krislov v. Rednour, 226 F.3d 851 (7th Cir. 2000) requires invalidation of the law. A previous Wisconsin law included similar restrictions and was struck down based on Krislov. See Frami v. Ponto, 255 F. Supp. 2d 962 (W.D. Wis. 2003).

Lawyers

Dan Lennington, Managing Vice President and Deputy Counsel; Lucas Vebber, Deputy Counsel; Nathalie Burmeister, Associate Counsel

CASE DOCUMENTS

• Complaint, April 2026
• Memo in Support of Temporary Relief, April 2026