Republicans Raise Voter Fraud Myth Again in Wisconsin

A few stories back, voter fraud reared its mythical head again:

“AP-A five-year strategic plan for running elections in Wisconsin doesn't do enough to combat voter fraud, concerned members of the public on Tuesday told a group of experts drafting the proposal.

Ardis Cerny of Pewaukee, who described herself as a concerned citizen, said she was shocked that the words "voter fraud" didn't appear in the 74-page plan. Cerny said the plan focuses too much on making voting a convenience rather than ensuring it is free from fraud. "The people of Wisconsin have lost confidence in our voting system," she said.

I wrote: "Ardis Cerny is just one of thousands of Republicans convinced by their fear mongering leaders that someone is always out to get them, even in the voting booth.”

At the time, I couldn’t come up with any examples of voter fraud, except to say it usually involves former felons. The point is, Republicans are quick to disenfranchise voters for the sake a few minor cases and mistakes. Well, here are 3 recently revealed examples:

greenbaypressgazette.com: Three cases of suspected voter fraud will be referred to the Brown County District Attorney's office this week for possible charges. Green Bay City Clerk Chad Weininger said his office staff uncovered the three … One case involves a convicted felon voting by absentee ballot. The man is a patient at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute and on probation, which prohibits him from legally voting.

Another case involves a man who used a local business as his home address when registering to vote. Weininger said the man could have been registering under an assumed name. (we don’t know if he voted, or for whom)

A third case involves a man who listed a post office box as his residential address, which isn't legal on voter registration.

Pretty dangerous and subversive stuff huh? Well it is to a Republican DA in Green Bay:

The state needs to start allowing poll workers to require driver's licenses or state identification cards, Weininger said. "We need to protect the voting process," he said.

But according to Wisconsinonenow.org:

Green Bay’s Republican City Clerk is using what should be a non-partisan office to push his right-wing political agenda to restrict voting rights.

Chad Weininger, the former deputy chief of staff for ex-Rep. Mark Green (R) who was a staunch advocate for restrictive voter ID laws in Congress and throughout his unsuccessful campaign for governor, is pushing weak evidence of “voter fraud” in order to claim the state needs to restrict voting by requiring ID at the polls: This is not voter fraud – this is voter registration error. These people were not casting multiple ballots or engaging in wide-scale fraud. They were just seeking to cast a single ballot for themselves. And isn’t that merely what we’re granted under the constitution? One man, one vote?

I couldn’t have put it better.