MacIver News Service | July 29, 2010
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is launching a joint Elections Integrity Task Force Efforts with District Attorneys in eleven of Wisconsin’s largest counties.
This multijurisdictional action team follows the partnership in Milwaukee County with its Democratic District Attorney John Chisholm to form the Milwaukee Elections Fraud Task Force. According to Van Hollen, the expanded, and bipartisan, Task Force will develop and share information, resources, tactics and strategy regarding matters involving election integrity and the enforcement of Wisconsin’s elections laws.
“Our expanded efforts will better ensure voter confidence and will address issues related to election integrity,” said Van Hollen. “This builds on our successful efforts in Milwaukee while reinforcing our roles and partnerships. Elections are undermined when people engage in unlawful voting or otherwise commit fraud on the elections process. We have an obligation to make certain our election system is fair and legal,”
Republican Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen made the announcement in Green Bay this morning.
“Unfortunately we all have seen instances of voter fraud. It is important to take meaningful steps to address this increasingly important issue,” said Brown County District Attorney John Zakowski.
Van Hollen says the new Task Force is a cooperative, rather than top-down effort.
“Law enforcement that works together works better,” said Van Hollen. “The Wisconsin Department of Justice and district attorneys have a long history of cooperation and communication about matters of statewide concern and how best to work together. By leveraging expertise and resources, this Task Force will greater assist law enforcement in the handling of election-related issues.”
The DOJ said members of the Task Force will work cooperatively to identify issues of common concern affecting election integrity. The Task Force will work on developing some common solutions and approaches to these issues and develop investigative and prosecution strategies.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice will act as a de facto clearinghouse for information, which will be made available for all prosecutors. It will also develop resource materials for law enforcement, prosecutors and local officials to deal with such issues as felon voting, double voting, voter registration problems, and campaign fundraising.
While local law enforcement and district attorneys would remain the primary source for the intake of complaints, the Wisconsin Department of Justice will also make available investigative and prosecution assistance as may be deemed necessary in individual cases.
“As long as Wisconsin fails to enact voter identification and DA’s offices remain short-staffed, prosecutors will be hampered in their efforts to ensure that election laws are enforce,” said Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel, a Republican. “Therefore, it is critically important that we collaborate to share our experience and develop successful strategies.”
While Van Hollen made Election Integrity a major plank in his successful bid for the AG post four years ago, and is up for re-election in November, the DOJ notes this task force in nonpartisan and includes both Republicans and Democrats.
“I am recommending to my successor, Ismael Ozanne that, as Dane County District Attorney beginning in August, he continue to participate in these information sharing and collaborative efforts,” said Democratic Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard, who will be leaving his post after being elected judge this spring. “Wisconsin has strong laws intended to ensure open and fair campaigns and elections, but those laws are a dead letter if local prosecutors, the Government Accountability Board, and the state Department of Justice do not cooperate in a nonpartisan, professional way to enforce the laws.”
District Attorneys participating in the Elections Integrity Task Force:
- Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard
- La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke
- Marathon County District Attorney Ken Heimerman
- Racine County District Attorney Michael Nieskes
- Outagamie County District Attorney Carrie Schneider
- Brown County District Attorney John Zakowski
- Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel
- Washington County District Attorney Todd Martens
- Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco
- Winnebago County District Attorney Christian Gossett
- Kenosha County District Attorney Robert Zapf
Van Hollen spoke with MacIver News Service earlier this year about his ongoing efforts to fight voter fraud in Wisconsin, and gave us a preview of today’s announcement:
How can having to provide legal identification at the voting booth be viewed as a means to disenfranchise anyone? If you don’t have a driver’s license, surely it is not a problem to obtain a WI ID!I feel that the reverse is also true–that I am being potentially disenfranchised and my vote discounted by those who would undermine the process using various means of falsification. Every effort should continue to be made to shore up the loopholes by which felons,etc are allowed to corrupt the vote–it is way too precious of a freedom to squander by being politically correct or using PC as an excuse to defraud. I fall in the MAJORITY of citizens that wants every assurance that the vote is held to the highest standard and devoid of all fraud..
[...] Van Hollen Forms Elections Integrity Task Force Boosts Efforts to … Jul 29, 2010 … Boosts Efforts to Fight Voter Fraud Across Wisconsin … According to Van Hollen, the expanded, and bipartisan, Task Force will develop … While Van Hollen made Election Integrity a major plank in his successful bid for … maciverinstitute.com/…/van-hollen-forms-elections-integrity-task-force-boost-efforts-to-fight-voter-fraud-across-wisconsin/ [...]
Would it be possible to have local groups help their local precinct verify all “registered” voters on their lists? Perhaps a Democratic (ACORN) AND a Republican (tea party) group could both veirfy the same lists using local phone directories and ANYWHO.COM on the premises of the local precinct at a day acceptable to all parties. Presumably most of the entries would be confirmed as valid by both groups. Only those “registered” voters that cannot be confirmed by both groups would require additional scrutiny by the election officials. And because these groups would be volunteers, no additional costs would be incurred by the local governing officials. Perhaps working with local funeral directors for all recorded deaths within a certain time period would add an additional necessary verification.
I think the voting stations should only allow people on the premises that check the credibility of the people coming in to vote. No more intimidation by others standing outside the voting places. Also, there should be no solictation on the premises where the voting takes place. Everyone knows who they are going to vote for long before they arrive at the voting place and if they don’t, then maybe they shouldn’t bother voting in the first place. We need by partisan efforts to insure that the voted are properly handled and counted and that there is no tampering with the electronic voting process. The November elections are extremely critical to the direction our nation is headed and it is imperative that integrity is the first issue.
I’m glad to see that someone is at least attempting to stop the DISENFRANCHISEMENT of legitimate voters in this state!
Until we have strict voter ID rules and halt election day voter registration with no more proof of residency than someone to “vouch” for a person there will be no assurence that our elections are legitimate. If being able to vote is important, citizens should register early enough to avoid the need to register the day of the election.
There also has to be a way that deceased voters can be removed from voter lists within six weeks to three months after their death. Computers should be making the people whose job it is to see to these things more efficient, if not, replace them. The pool of people to choose from is getting deeper and wider every day……hire people who will get the job done, correctly.