When Same-Day Voter Registrants are Suspected of Fraud, Votes Still Count

(Milwaukee, WI) – December 12, 2023: According to the Milwaukee Election Commission, since 2020 Milwaukee County District Attorney, John Chisholm has refused to review at least 354 referrals for potentially unlawful same-day day voter registrations. These referrals represent 354 potential illegal votes that cannot be reversed.

Under Wisconsin law, election officials are required to “audit” addresses given at polling places by people who registered and voted the same day. Election officials send a confirmation postcard to the voter’s address. Any postcards returning to officials as USPS undeliverable shall trigger an inactivation of the new voter record and generate a case referral to the local district attorney.

Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall showed PILF researchers a cardboard box filled with referrals to the district attorney from the past three years and provided copies of its contents. There is one problem: the district attorney’s office never picked up the box.

“Election officials are best situated to notice and investigate potential violations of election law, said PILF President, J. Christian Adams. “Wisconsin requires election officials to investigate same-day registrations and refer individuals who appear to have used bad addresses to prosecuting authorities. When a DA refuses to even look at the evidence, that harms Wisconsin elections.”

Previously, the Foundation has found similar problems of election crimes not being prosecuted in other states. In 2021, PILF uncovered more than 150 examples of election law violation referrals from nine Florida County Supervisors of Elections since the 2020 cycle, which essentially hit dead-ends in prosecutors’ offices. Following the release of PLF’s research report, Safe Harbor Governor Ron DeSantis’ signed a bill creating an  Office of Election Crimes and Security

Read the full Milwaukee report here.

Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is the nation’s only public interest law firm dedicated wholly to election integrity. The Foundation exists to assist states and others to aid the cause of election integrity and fight against lawlessness in American elections. Drawing on numerous experts in the field, PILF seeks to protect the right to vote and preserve the Constitutional framework of American elections. PILF has brought lawsuits and won victories in Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and across the United States.

###

For media inquiries, please reach out to Lbowman@publicinterestlegal.org