Wisconsin
US DOJ sending staff to monitor Wisconsin election Tuesday
The U.S Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division will post election monitors in four Wisconsin locations Nov. 5. The news comes as Wisconsin’s top elections administrator says local clerks have been preparing for any potential election day problems since 2020.
The DOJ announced Friday it will “monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws” in the cities of Milwaukee, Wausau and the Rusk County Towns of Lawrence and Thornapple during Tuesday’s presidential election.
The DOJ sued the Towns of Lawrence and Thornapple in September, accusing local officials of breaking federal law for not making at least one accessible voting machine available to voters with disabilities during elections in April and May. The Town of Thornapple is currently appealing a preliminary injunction requiring it to bring the accessible voting machine back for the upcoming election.
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In Wausau, the Wisconsin Department of Justice has taken over an investigation into whether the city’s mayor broke the law by removing a ballot drop box outside city hall Sept. 22.
Wisconsin’s top elections official says clerks have prepped for potential election day problems since 2020
Also on Friday, Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe said early, in-person absentee voting remains stronger than expected with more 801,000 ballots cast thus far. That represents around a 48 percent increase in early, in-person turnout compared to the same time in 2020.
Wolfe also said slowdowns with the WEC’s computer system that caused delays for clerks trying to print absentee ballot labels have been resolved.
“Also, importantly, the label printing function is not a function that is used on election day. It is only an optional function that’s used during in-person, absentee voting,” Wolfe told reporters at a media briefing.
When asked whether Wisconsin clerks had reported any issues seen in other states, like absentee ballot drop boxes being set on fire or disruptions at early voting sites, Wolfe said they have not.
Wolfe said clerks have been preparing for the upcoming election since 2020. That’s when former President Donald Trump began falsely claiming his loss to President Joe Biden was due to voter fraud, driving up public concerns about election integrity.
“We always hope that a bad day in elections never happens, but if something should occur, I think our local election officials have truly been preparing for those possibilities for the last four years,” Wolfe said. “And they take it very seriously that they want to ensure that their voters can feel safe and secure when they go to vote using whatever method they choose.”
Wisconsin Elections Commission spars over guidance spawned GOP allegations of noncitizens voting
The elections commission held a meeting after Wolfe’s briefing. Things grew heated between some of the six voting members of the commission during a discussion on clerk guidance tied to Republicans’ recent focus on the potential of noncitizens voting in the presidential election.
While research has found that illegal voting by noncitizens is exceedingly rare, documents prepared by commission staff said they’ve received “many questions from clerks.”
The guidance notes that the state Legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, changed state law in 2016 to allow “Limited Term” and “Non-Domiciled” drivers licenses and ID cards to be used to vote in Wisconsin. Those cards are issued to people who were legal residents but not yet citizens when they applied for the credentials.
The guidance states that clerks or elections inspectors who are notified a person presented a “Limited Term” or “Non-Domiciled” card at a polling place should challenge their eligibility to vote unless they provide citizenship documentation. During a challenge, the prospective voter is placed under oath and asked if they are U.S. Citizen. The the answer is no, a ballot cannot be issued.
Republican Commissioner Bob Spindell, who posed as a false elector during Trump’s 2020 attempts to overturn his loss to Biden, claimed he’s heard that some noncitizen driver’s licenses don’t include the phrase “Limited Term” or “Non-Domiciled.”
He contended that if birth dates and expiration dates on drivers licenses do not match, it could be an indication that the holder is not a citizen. And he asked whether birth dates and expiration dates on licenses could be matched in order to tell if a person was a citizen or not.
“So I was wondering if the (WEC) staff has any more information on that, because this is a question that has been put forth,” Spindell said. “It’s my understanding the Republican Party of Wisconsin has instructed the paid poll workers and also the observers that this is something that needs to be looked at and could possibly be a reason for challenge.”
Democratic Wisconsin Elections Commission Chair Ann Jacobs scoffed at Spindell’s statement and question.
“Are you saying that you’re asking this commission to order poll workers across the state to examine every single driver’s license?” Jacobs said. “That’s the millions of voters who are going to vote on election day that they’re supposed to be analyzing these expiration dates, because you’re telling us it’s possible that one of those identifications could be someone who might not be a citizen?”
Spindell backtracked slightly but said if a poll worker notices inconsistencies there should be commission guidance. “Because I hate to see a whole bunch of challenges.”
Wisconsin Elections Commission Chief Legal Counsel Jim Witecha told members that DOT attorneys told him the only time the situation is referring to would happen is on the “Limited Term” and “Non-Domiciled” cards.
Democratic Commissioner Mark Thomsen called Spindell’s claims “outrageous.”
“We used this law in 2016 when Donald Trump won, and we used it in every election since, and this hasn’t been an issue,” Thomsen said. “We just heard it’s a non issue. We should not put out anything publicly to any poll worker that what they’ve been doing for years is wrong or that it should be challenged, and especially a few days before the election.”
The GOP focus on alleged non-citizen voting has led to two referendum questions that will appear on ballots Tuesday.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
JLO says ‘our pain matters’ at Harris rally while Trump courts Latinos
The presidential candidates have been courting Hispanic voters following fallout from controversial comments on both sides.
WASHINGTON ― Vice President Kamala Harris holds narrow leads in Pennsylvania, Michigan in Wisconsin four days from the presidential election, according to new polls of the three “blue wall” states released Friday by Marist College that show the Democratic nominee gaining with independent voters.
In Pennsylvania, Harris is ahead of Republican nominee Donald Trump 50%-48% among likely voters, Marist found, and leads Trump 51%-48% in Michigan and 50%-48% in Wisconsin.
The polls − some of the most encouraging surveys for Harris in recent days − were taken Oct. 27 to Oct. 30. Each result is within the polls’ margins of errors of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points in Pennsylvania, 3.5 percentage points in Michigan and 3.4 percentage points in Wisconsin.
Harris is buoyed in the polls by independent voters shifting her direction. In Pennsylvania, Harris leads 55%-40% with independents, Marist found, a turnaround after Trump had a 4-point advantage with Pennsylvania’s independent voters in September. Harris leads among independent voters 52%-46% in Michigan and 51%-46% in Wisconsin.
Harris underperforming with Black voters, but gaining with white voters
Reflecting a defining trend of the 2024 election, the polls found large gender gaps, with Harris faring better among women and Trump with men.
In Pennsylvania, Harris is ahead 53%-45% with likely women voters, while Trump leads likely male voters 51%-47%. Harris leads likely Michigan women voters 55%-44% over Trump and likely Wisconsin women voters 55%-43%. Trump is ahead with likely Michigan male voters 52%-46% and likely Wisconsin male voters 53%-44%.
Despite Harris’ polling leads, the vice president is underperforming with Black voters compared to President Joe Biden’s performance in the 2020 election, Marist found.
Harris leads Trump 84%-16% among Black voters in Pennsylvania and 75%-25% among Black voters in Michigan. Biden won support from 92% of Black voters in 2020. Harris has support from 63% of non-white voters in Wisconsin, while Biden had support from 73% in 2020.
Yet Harris is overcoming the lagging numbers with Black voters by doing better than Biden performed with white voters. Trump leads Harris 51%-47% with white voters in Pennsylvania, below the 57% Trump garnered with this group in 2020. Trump leads white voters 51%-48% in Michigan, a narrower margin that his 55%-44% performance four years ago. Trump leads Wisconsin’s white voters 50%-48% after carrying the state’s white voters by 6 points in 2020.
What is the blue wall?
The polls, conducted through a combination of phone interviews, texts and on online, used samples of 1,642 Pennsylvania voters, 1,429 Michigan voters and 1,549 Wisconsin voters.
Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan − each carried by President Joe Biden in 2020 − have voted as a bloc in every presidential election since 1988, with one of the presidential candidates sweeping all three. Trump flipped the three “blue wall” states to the Republican column in 2016 en route to his defeat over Democrat Hillary Clinton.
If Harris carries all three “blue wall” states in the Nov. 5 election, then she would likely secure enough electoral votes to win the presidency even if she loses the four other battleground states − North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. That’s assuming Harris wins Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district, where she is polling ahead, and all other states she is heavily favored to win.
For Trump, a victory in any of the “blue wall” states − particularly Pennsylvania, which has 19 electoral votes, the most of any battleground − would open a path for him to secure the necessary 270 electoral votes by pairing that win with victories in the Sun Belt states, where he is polling stronger.
Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.
Trump, RNC amplify voter fraud claims in key Pennsylvania counties
“They’ve cheated.” Donald Trump is already amplifying unverified claims of voter fraud in key Pennsylvania counties.
It’s officially election month. In a few short days, polls will close and it will be the end of the 2024 election.
After holding back-to-back events in the southwest Thursday, Donald Trump is headed to the Detroit suburb of Warren, Michigan for a rally on Friday afternoon, followed by an evening rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Running mate JD Vance has scheduled rallies in Portage, Michigan, and Selma, North Carolina. Surrogate Eric Trump is scheduled to appear at an event in Georgia.
Here is what to know heading into the weekend.
Vance appears on Joe Rogan podcast
Vance made an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience, on Thursday. The episode, which lasts more than three hours and is on Spotify, was also uploaded to the show’s YouTube channel.
Trump was on Rogan’s podcast last week, and Kamala Harris was in talks to be on it, but Rogan said he declined because he wouldn’t travel to her. The podcast is taped in Austin, Texas. Rogan said he would still like to meet with Harris “to just have a nice conversation and get to know her as a human being.”
Rogan’s show is its top podcast with 14.5 million followers, according to Spotify.
Controversy over Puerto Rico joke continues
Facing ongoing backlash to a comedian’s joke about Puerto Rico being “an island of garbage” at a Madison Square Garden rally, Trump asked a New Mexico rally crowd on Thursday if they prefer to be called “Hispanics” or “Latinos.” The crowd cheered louder for “Hispanic.”
“First of all, Hispanics love Trump,” he said. “I like them. They’re smart.”
Meanwhile Harris said she disagreed with President Joe Biden’s comments when he appeared to refer to Trump’s supporters as “garbage,” saying that while the president clarified his remarks, she does not agree with criticisms of voters based on whom they’re supporting.
Polls continue to show an incredibly close race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, Victoria Moorwood, David Jackson, Natalie Neysa Alund, Rebecca Morin
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com, and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.
Brenden Anes has ditched the Big Ten for the SEC and Rocky Top.
Anes, a standout Page linebacker, announced on his X account that he has decommitted from Wisconsin and committed to Tennessee on Thursday.
“After a lot of prayer and conversations with my family, I will be stepping away from my commitment to The University of Tennessee,” Anes wrote. “Thank you Coach Inge and Coach Heupel for this opportunity to stay HOME and protect the checkerboards. Let’s Work!”
Anes is a 6-foot-3, 220-pound linebacker with 32 total tackles through the Patriots’ first eight games. He also has two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He is a three-star linebacker and No. 20 recruit in the state in the 247Sports Composite.
Anes is a member of The Tennessean’s 2024 Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top college football recruits in the Nashville area. He had been committed to Wisconsin since January.
Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on the X platform @Kreager.
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