Right Wing Ramps Up to Elect Their Man on State Supreme Court With Voter Roll Purge Push

MADISON, Wis. — Members of the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) donated thousands of dollars to the campaign of State Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly when he was deciding a controversial case in their favor. Now the right-wing WILL is trying to bully the Wisconsin Elections Commission into purging an estimated 234,000 registered voters from the rolls in advance of Kelly standing for election in 2020.

“Wisconsin’s right wing has a lot invested in Dan Kelly,” commented One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Analiese Eicher. “They’re going to pull out all the stops to keep him around, like trying to bully the Wisconsin Elections Commission into a pre-election voter roll purge that could kick 234,000 voters off registration lists.”

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, fueled by state and national right-wing funders, on Wednesday announced they were filing a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, seeking to have the registrations of an estimated 234,000 voters revoked prior to the Spring 2020 elections. Dan Kelly will be running to keep the state high court seat to which he was appointed by former Republican Gov. Walker.

WILL further threatened to sue the Wisconsin Elections Commission if they do not accede to their demands to purge the state voter registration list within 30 days.

After a voter list maintenance program incorrectly triggered the removal of tens of thousands of Wisconsin voters from the rolls in 2017, the Wisconsin Elections Commission extended the period for voters to either update their registrations to reflect a new address or notify the commission that they have not moved.

Eicher noted that the right wing in Wisconsin has a long and shameful history of seeking to manipulate the rules on voting to give themselves an unfair advantage. Numerous schemes enacted under former Gov. Scott Walker were struck down in federal court, including racially motivated limits on early voting and other measures intended to make voting harder and more complicated.

She concluded, “The Wisconsin Constitution Dan Kelly swore an oath to uphold guarantees the right to vote. He ought to publicly demand his right-wing pals cease and desist their scheming to undermine the right of the people of Wisconsin to have their voices heard on Election Day.”