Trump Administration Already in Reruns With Proposed Investigation of Voting Impropriety

MADISON, Wis. — Donald Trump is reported to be issuing an order today calling for an investigation into his allegations of voting impropriety in the 2016 November election. One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross said this is the first step in an orchestrated campaign to manipulate the rules on voting to give Trump and his fellow Republicans an unfair partisan advantage, based on a similar scheme Trump Chief of Staff Reince Priebus helped orchestrate during his time in Wisconsin.

In recent federal voting rights litigation in Wisconsin, including the work of One Wisconsin Now’s partner organization in the case One Wisconsin Institute, et. al. v. Thomsen, et. al., Federal Judge James Peterson threw out several laws passed over a five year span by Republican Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican controlled state legislature, including restrictions on early voting, ending weekend voting and onerous residency requirements.

Under oath, the Walker administration was unable to provide any evidence to back up the GOP’s decades-long claims of voter fraud used as a pretext to pass the onerous new requirements designed to give themselves an unfair political advantage and make voting more difficult and complicated for voters, especially minorities, seniors and students.

The following are the statements of One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross:

“We’ve seen this show before in Wisconsin. From Reince Priebus to Scott Walker the real fraud in our elections is partisan politicians manipulating the rules on voting to give themselves an unfair advantage. And repeatedly making false allegations of voting impropriety is the first step in executing their nefarious scheme.

“Donald Trump’s call for an investigation isn’t based in reality, but the threat to voting rights is very real.

“Make no mistake, we’re in a fight to protect the very essence of our democracy from the un-American machinations of Donald Trump and his administration and today was just the opening salvo.

“The rights of every legal voter – regardless of income, race, religion, age or where you live – to have an equal say by having the opportunity to cast their vote and to have that vote counted is under attack.”