The Sconi

Questions have arisen regarding if the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) broke the law by telling clerks to attempt to resolve issues with missing witness address information before Election Day.

The Republic Journal believes that the law is clear, as it tells clerks that if they receive absentee ballots that are improperly completed, they are to be returned to the elector, that the ballot can’t be counted if it is missing the address of the witness and that if the certification is insufficient it should be rejected and not counted. 

Prior to the election, the WEC sent clerks a notice that said: “Please note that the clerk should attempt to resolve any missing witness address information prior to Election Day if possible, and this can be done through reliable information (personal knowledge, voter registration information, through a phone call with the voter or witness).”

This statement is allegedly unconstitutional because the WEC doesn’t have the authority to alter state law, that in doing so it robbed voters of their right to representative government because it ignored state law, it denied citizens rights under the 14th Amendment and it put clerks in a position that could allow them to commit fraud.

For example, if a voter filled out his absentee ballot and had a friend sign as witness, but his friend did not fill out her address, when the ballot is returned to the county, the county is supposed to either send it back or reject it and put it in a bin for ballots not to be counted.

If the clerk is looking for the person listed as the witness, they might not list the right person if there are multiple people with that name at different addresses. The clerk has then, The Republic Journal says, committed two different felonies. They have also then put the voter in a position to be charged with a crime by the falsification by the clerk.

“Did WEC just commit a felony by, ‘In the course of the person’s official duties or on account of the person’s official position, intentionally violate or intentionally cause any other person to violate any provision of chs. 5 to 12.’   In my opinion, yes,” the news media says.

Dan O’Donnell writes in an op-ed for The Sconi that voter fraud is rampant, especially in nursing homes. He gave an example of a woman whose mother died in October, yet, two weeks after her death, someone turned in an absentee vote for her. 

The Sconi also reported that WEC is attempting to make it harder for make objections to the voter count. The WEC began working on changes to the recount manual after President Donald Trump filed a recount petition in the state. 

There have also been other lawsuits filed against the state regarding the recent election. Three voters filed a lawsuit last week asking to invalidate three counties’ results, alleging that the counties were rampant with illegal votes. 

The voting machines in Wisconsin are largely unregulated, which isn’t the case in many states. However, in Wisconsin, they are known for not being regulated. Even a recount requested by Jill Stein in 2016 is still going through the courts because of this.