Dozens of 17-Year-Olds Voted Illegally across Wisconsin during last spring's intense Presidential Primary, apparently wrongly believing they could cast Ballots if they turned 18 ahead of the November General Election, according to a new State Report.
Wisconsin Elections Commission Staff examined Voter Fraud Referrals Municipal Clerks said they made to Prosecutors following the 2016 Primary and General Elections. The Commission is set to approve the findings and forward a report to the Legislature.
The report found at least 60 cases of 17-Year-Olds Voting in the April Primary in 29 Counties. Kewaunee County referred nine people to Prosecutors, Rock County referred seven, and Racine County referred five. Brown County referred what the report called "Multiple" 17-Year-Olds to Prosecutors. The Report did not track charging decisions or for whom the 17-year-olds Voted.
Commission spokesman Reid Magney said that he'd never seen this issue crop up before. The teenagers were likely encouraged to go to the Polls by messages flying around Social Media during the Primary season saying 17-year-olds can vote in some States as long as they turn 18 before the November Election, the report said. Some Political Campaigns were also spreading false information about eligibility, the Report said.
No one under 18 can vote in any Wisconsin Election, but Poll workers may not have understood the Law or may not have been paying enough attention, Magney said. "It wasn't a case of anyone sneaking in," Magney said. "It was a misunderstanding of the law."
The report doesn't say which Campaigns were spreading misinformation or where.
Kewaunee County District Attorney Andrew Naze said he chose not to charge any of the 17-Year-Olds whom Clerks referred to him. He said they honestly thought they were eligible to Vote and didn't intend to break the Law.
Other findings in the report included:
— Seven referrals for Voting Twice in the same Election in different Municipalities.
— Eight referrals, including two in Brown County, for Voting Absentee and In-Person at the polls.
— Five referrals of Felons Voting.
The Report noted that its findings aren't conclusive and it's possible other instances of suspected Fraud may have been referred to Prosecutors without the Commission's knowledge or people may have filed Complaints directly with District Attorneys.
There seems to be an immediate need for Wisconsin Board of Elections and Poll Worker's Training.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
No comments:
Post a Comment