Voter Caging Target: UW-Milwaukee Dormitory, 95 Percent of Ward Votes from Sandburg Hall

MADISON, Wis. — Despite firm denials by Tim Dake, leader of Wisconsin’s Tea Party organizations, the voter caging plot between the Tea Party, Americans for Prosperity and the Republican Party of Wisconsin exposed this week by One Wisconsin Now, is directly targeting university students – most notably voters at UW-Milwaukee Sandburg Hall, which made up 95 percent of the ward’s 2008 vote total.

“Another day and more questions arise about this voter caging plot,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “As even more information comes to light, this makes it even more important a full investigation by law enforcement occurs to ensure no illegal wrong-doing has or will occur related to the effort between the Tea Party, Americans for Prosperity and the Republican Party of Wisconsin.”

Last night, the GrandSons of Liberty website, run by Dake, posted a “revised draft plan” in response to One Wisconsin Now’s release of audio recordings, transcripts and strategy documents it obtained which detail a possibly-illegal voter caging plan. The document, whose properties indicate it was created last night at 9:56 p.m., says “AFP has mailed first 500 to Milwaukee districts 39, 60 and 62. Additional mailing as funding is obtained.”

Ward 39 is the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2008, 1,891 of the 1,966 votes cast in that ward came from 3400 Maryland Avenue, the Sandburg Residence Hall, which houses 2,700 students. In addition, wards 60 and 62 cited in the apparent voter caging plan both cover the Marquette University campus.

Just Monday, Dake denied targeting colleges students, telling one newspaper, “ ‘We’re not going to do anything that’s illegal,’ said Dake, who also denied any focus on college students or minorities.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 09/21/10]

Maps detailing the heavy student population of wards 39, 60 and 62 are available here and here.

Monday, One Wisconsin Now exposed a coordinated plot by the Republican Party of Wisconsin, Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin and organizations in the so-called Tea Party movement targeting minority voters and college students in a possibly illegal “voter caging” effort for voter suppression. One Wisconsin Now has filed a formal request for investigation with U.S Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen’s Election Integrity Task Force and the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.

The recordings, documents and strategy memos obtained by One Wisconsin Now are available at its voter protection website, www.SaveWisconsinsVote2010.org.