Wisconsin voters receive ‘threatening’ text ahead of election

Students who live and study in Wisconsin are legally authorized to register to vote and participate in elections with their school or home address. But a “threatening” text message last week, reported by two non-profit groups, implied the opposite – raising concerns about voter intimidation in a critical swing state.

“WARNING: Violation of WI Statutes 12.13 and 6.18 may result in fines of up to $10,000 or 3.5 years in prison,” the text message read, citing laws regarding voter fraud and voter eligibility. “Don’t vote in a state where you are not eligible. STOP2END.

“Thousands” of young Wisconsin voters received the text on Oct. 10, according to a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D). The nonprofit group Free Speech for People sent the letter on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.

The text messages “targeted young voters ages 18 to 25,” including “many” who are part of the University of Wisconsin system, according to the letter.

“Many students and other young voters fear facing criminal prosecution if they register and exercise their right to vote – due to a malicious and inaccurate text sent by an anonymous party,” the letter said.

Among the recipients of the text were young staff members of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, the letter said. A staff member at Democracy Docket, a voting rights news site founded by Democratic elections attorney Marc Elias, also received a text message, according to the group’s website. The Associated Press noted that at least one person who received the text posted a copy on X, formerly Twitter.

Students strongly support Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump in this year’s election, polls indicatedand their votes could be crucial in several swing states.

State law also allows Wisconsin residents who attend school outside the state to vote absentee in Wisconsin. Likewise, foreign residents studying in Wisconsin can legally vote in Wisconsin.

The state election commission’s “Student Residency Guide” states: “Under Wisconsin statutes, a person must reside in an election district for at least 28 consecutive days before the election and have no intention to move. A person does not lose his or her residence for the purposes of voting by leaving a residence established for temporary purposes with the intention of returning there. (The document clarifies that voters do not need to literally sleep at one address for 28 days straight to be eligible.)

Registration rules and deadlines vary by state, but these rules are easy to check.

Besides, Wednesday is the last day for register to vote online or by mail in Wisconsin – even if voters are eligible can register in person in the clerks’ offices until the Friday before the election, or at their polling places on Election Day.

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and Free Speech for People have called for an investigation into voter intimidation at the state and federal level.

“The Wisconsin Department of Justice takes allegations of potential election law violations seriously,” Gillian Drummond, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice, told HuffPost on Wednesday. “The Wisconsin Department of Justice is reviewing the information provided and will evaluate whether further action is appropriate based on the facts and the law.”

The U.S. Department of Justice did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment Wednesday.

In their letter, the nonprofits cited a lawsuit filed in New York by the National Coalition for Black Civic Participation against Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, right-wing conspiracy theorists who used robocalls targeting neighborhoods in large black population in an effort to intimidate voters in 2020.

“Mail-in voting sounds great, but did you know that if you vote by mail, your personal information will be part of a public database that will be used by police departments to find old warrants and will be used by corporations credit cards to recover unpaid debts? said the robocalls, which were sent to tens of thousands of recipients in several states. “The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is even pushing to use mail-in voting records to track people for mandatory vaccinations. Don’t be forced to give your private information to the man. Stay safe and be wary of mail-in voting.

The New York Attorney General’s Office intervened in the case and Wohl and Burkman were finally found violating the Voting Rights Act, the Ku Klux Klan Act, and the New York Civil Rights Act. They agreed pay until $1.25 million fine. Furthermore, the Federal Communications Commission fined them 5 million dollars, and the two men were sentenced to 500 hours of voter registration by an Ohio judge, where they pleaded guilty to telecommunications fraud. They always confront multiple criminal charges in Michigan.

“Parties that commit voter intimidation should not be allowed to hide behind technology or benefit from the anonymity of text messages,” Tuesday’s letter to Wisconsin and federal officials said. “We urge your offices to promptly and thoroughly investigate these texts, make public the identity of the party(ies) responsible for disseminating these texts, and take appropriate enforcement action against the perpetrators.”

“Wisconsin voters need to know that these threatening text messages are illegal and that the League of Women Electoral will fight against bad actors who seek to sow confusion in our elections,” said Debra Cronmiller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin. said in a statement.

Courtney Hostetler, Legal Director of Free Speech For People – who challenged the eligibility of the application from former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) ― added: “It is distressing and dangerous that thousands of young people could be the target of a disinformation text message sent by anonymous authors that threatens their right to vote. »