MADISON, WI -- (Press Release) -- Earlier [Thursday] Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling presented the results of an investigation into allegations of election fraud in a Racine-area nursing home. Sheriff Schmaling concluded that the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) violated state law when it suspended the requirement for special voting deputies to be present when nursing home residents vote via absentee ballot. The suspension applied to the spring and fall 2020 elections, and Sheriff Schmaling’s investigation found evidence of eight fraudulently cast ballots.
Special voting deputies – typically two-person teams of one Republican and one Democrat – visit nursing homes and other care facilities to assist residents in completing absentee ballots. These bipartisan teams are intended to ensure that the ballots accurately reflect residents’ preferences.
“It’s unconscionable that WEC would use COVID as an excuse to disregard a state law that is critical to preventing the manipulation of vulnerable populations for fraudulent purposes, especially when this same nursing home was allowing many non-residents and non-employees – even a DoorDash delivery driver – to enter their facility during this time,” State Rep. Dave Armstrong (R-Rice Lake) said. “As damning as Sheriff Schmaling’s findings are, I can’t believe that the fallout from WEC’s illegal guidance was limited to a single nursing home. That is why I call on Attorney General Josh Kaul to do his job, initiate a statewide investigation into voting abuses in our state’s nursing homes, and hold the wrongdoers accountable.”
Last Update: Oct 30, 2021 4:54 pm CDT
