Wisconsin Democrats Fail to Protect Military Voters

Military voters in Wisconsin don’t have to be registered to vote in order to receive an absentee ballot, setting them up to be victims of identity fraud.

My Vote Wisconsin, a voter information site published by the Wisconsin Election Commission, advertises that a military member, spouse, or dependent can receive an absentee ballot online, email or fax until 5pm on election day for federal elections and the Friday before the election for non-federal elections. The site also indicates that military members do not need to be registered voters to get an absentee ballot. Who verifies the identities of these voters and how to ensure they aren’t also voting in another state?

A former Wisconsin election official, Kimberly Zapata, became concerned about these relaxed requirements so she decided to test the system. She admitted to using false names to request military absentee ballots which she had sent to the home of Wisconsin Republican state Rep. Janel Brandtjen. Zapata was found guilty of misconduct in public office and will be sentenced in May.

Related: Wisconsin Voters Deal Devastating Blow to Zuck Bucks Elites

Another individual, Harry Wait of Racine, was also determined to expose problems with the Wisconsin election system. He filmed himself ordering absentee ballots online, sending them to the homes of elected officials. Now he faces charges of election fraud and possible jail time for exposing election integrity issues.

It is unfortunate that Wisconsinites have been pushed to resort to these methods to prove the large vulnerabilities in the election system. Since federal law prohibits states from requiring military voters to provide a photo identification, the Wisconsin military absentee rules are just asking for bad actors to take advantage of the situation. Zapata proved that when she made up three names and false social security numbers and had military absentee ballots mailed to an address of a third party.

Wisconsin Democrats Don’t Want Voter Integrity

Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin pushed the Freedom to Vote Act, which relaxes many voter integrity measures including requiring states to allow alternatives to photo ID requirements. The Act would also require automatic or same day voter registration—perhaps Baldwin is hoping all the illegal aliens in Wisconsin receiving taxpayer funded handouts will get to vote.

States have the responsibility to oversee election security. If passed, the Freedom to Vote Act would make it much harder to have safe and secure elections. The National Conference of State Legislatures says, “it’s possible that (states) may not be able to identify an individual who is on the rolls in two different states.” This problem becomes much worse when states don’t require voter registration.

Wisconsin state law exempts military members from the requirement to register to vote. Code 6.22  states: “Military electors are not required to register as a prerequisite to voting in any election.” Additionally, the statute indicates that each municipal clerk—a constitutional officer—must “keep an up-to-date list of all eligible military electors” who reside in their municipality.

Evidently, clerks did not verify the names and addresses in the case where ballots were sent to Brandtjen’s home. Rep. Brandtjen told Restoration News, “Clerks don’t seem to be maintaining these lists of military electors after the Zapata incident.” Clerks in Wisconsin should be held accountable for following the laws of the state.

Protect Military Voters And Their Data

While it is imperative that obstacles to vote not be put in the way of military members who are stationed overseas or out of their home state, their votes must also be protected. Without registration or ID requirements, what would prevent someone from stealing a military member’s identity and voting in their name by absentee in Wisconsin?

As a military spouse, I understand the difficulties of the transient and unique lifestyle faced by the military community.  That said, many resources exist to assist military members and dependents with the process to vote easily. The Federal Voting Assistance Program offers the ability for qualified military members and dependents to register to vote and receive an absentee ballot in one step on their website, no matter the state of residency.

The issue is not a lack of ability to vote for military members, it is a lack of interest in voting. In 2022, only 37 percent of service members expressed an interest in voting. The issue of why military members don’t want to vote should be addressed rather than constantly banging the drum that voting is too difficult. There’s an abundance of information related to voting for service members, but they aren’t seeking out the resources.

According to the Wisconsin Election Commission, completed military absentee ballots must arrive no later than 8 p.m. on election day for the vote to count. Since an eligible military member voting absentee in Wisconsin can receive an absentee ballot until 5pm on election day, how would an overseas member get that ballot back in time for their vote to count? Wisconsin’s rules for military members are misleading and create an uncertainty of a secure process. The rules must change to guarantee both the ease of access and voting security.

Click Here To Read More About the Fight To Secure America’s Elections