Just a few days before the election, leftist-led Milwaukee is at the epicenter of another potential ballot scandal.
The Conservative Political Action Conference has filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission after receiving reports that an “unknown individual” shoved a “significant number of absentee ballots” into a Milwaukee absentee ballot drop box “before fleeing the scene.”
CPAC filed the complaint with WEC and local police, alleging illegal ballot harvesting and possible “fraud or corruption in the voting process.” Ballot harvesting is illegal in Wisconsin.
According to the complaint, obtained by Just the News, a witness reported that he observed an unknown individual stuff as many as 500 ballots into the unguarded drop box and flee after realizing he was being photographed. The witness attached four photographs of the suspect engaging in the alleged unlawful activity, but the photos are redacted in the complaint.
CPAC, best known for hosting conferences with top conservatives and grassroots activists, “received reports of illicit ballot harvesting at the dropbox location outside Milwaukee City Hall,” CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp wrote on his X account. “A witness reported an individual depositing a significant number of absentee ballots into the dropbox before fleeing the scene.
Witness Account
According to the witness, whose name is redacted in the complaint, on Friday, Oct. 25, at approximately 7:55 p.m., he observed an individual “who appeared to deposit a bag full of absentee ballots into a dropbox.”
”I was sitting in my car with my son outside of the City Hall dropbox location at 200 E. Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202. … An individual approached the dropbox carrying two bags,” the witness declared in the complaint.
One of the bags was a drawstring backup-style bag; the other “was a large green bag with a zipper,” the witness reported. He said that “the green bag appeared to be full.” He estimated the bag “could hold between 50 and 500 ballots.”
“The individual walked up to the drop box and reached into the green bag at least five times to empty the contents of his bag into the dropbox. … While walking away from the dropbox, I watched the individual fold up the now empty green bag and proceed to put it in the drawstring backup,” the witness stated. “When the individual realized I was watching and taking pictures, the individual sprinted away.”
‘Flair for Drama’
A Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman did not return multiple requests for comment from The Federalist. An official from the Milwaukee Police Department also did not return a call seeking comment, and the Milwaukee Election Commission could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
The Federalist also reached out to Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming, who did not return a request for comment.
Milwaukee has a history of ballot and ballot-counting problems, including delays in Election Day reporting. In 2020, the count went into the wee hours of the night, with Milwaukee delivering the margin then-Democrat candidate Joe Biden needed to claim victory over President Donald Trump in the Badger State. Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission at the time, worked closely with leftist organizations through a controversial “Zuckbucks” agreement.
“Damn, Claire, you have a flair for drama, delivering just the margin needed at 3:00 a.m.,” Ryan Chew of the Elections Group, wrote in a congratulatory email to Vogg. “I bet you had those votes counted at midnight, and just wanted to keep the world waiting!”
Biden claimed victory in Wisconsin by less than 21,000 votes.
That same election, Vogg reportedly “misplaced” a flash drive that contained election night vote counts. She had left the flash drive tabulator in one of the machines, according to a letter Vogg sent to Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe. The misplacement led to myriad election integrity questions and concerns.
The leftist-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court in July ruled that absentee ballot drop boxes may be used in elections. The ruling overturned a 2022 state Supreme Court decision finding that state law does not allow for the widespread use of the ballot receptacles. Their use in the 2020 election also raised election integrity concerns.
Paulina Gutierrez, who earlier this year replaced the fired Vogg as Milwaukee election administrator, recently told ABC News that Milwaukee has “specially trained ballot courier teams [and] we have a pretty strong chain of custody.” She said each of the city’s drop boxes is equipped with a camera.
So CPAC’s allegations of a possible ballot dump should be relatively easy to track.
Schlapp said CPAC is “committed to protecting our elections and urges WEC and local law enforcement to investigate these allegations.”
For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com.
Matt Kittle is a senior elections correspondent for The Federalist. An award-winning investigative reporter and 30-year veteran of print, broadcast, and online journalism, Kittle previously served as the executive director of Empower Wisconsin.
