Van Hollen Record on Voter Integrity the Real Fraud

MADISON, Wis. — Despite Republican Attorney General JB Van Hollen’s multi-year claim of widespread voter fraud in Wisconsin, the state’s top elected Republican has been able to document just 11 potentially-improper votes cast out of 3 million Wisconsinites who went to the polls in November 2008.

“Eleven suspect votes are the result of JB Van Hollen’s partisan-fueled, taxpayers-financed anti-voter witch hunt,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “Van Hollen claims there is widespread error but the conclusion after 18 months is 11 improper votes out of 3 million cast he’s either completely incompetent or an indisputable liar.”

The timing of Van Hollen’s charges, in the months just prior to the upcoming 2010 elections, is little more than a public relations effort by Van Hollen to justify tactics which result in voter suppression and voter intimidation in urban polling locations.

Eight of the charges “¢ all brought after 18 months after the 2008 election “¢ were for ex-offenders in the community ineligible to vote because of their status as on paper felons. Two people were accused of voting twice and one was charged with trying to obtain an absentee ballot for a deceased spouse. Despite Van Hollen’s and Republicans’ assertions of widespread misconduct, Van Hollen’s charges represent four ten thousandths of one percent (0.0004%) of votes cast in 2008. Six others have been charged with falsifying registration papers, but Van Hollen has produced no evidence that any improper votes were cast as result of these alleged infractions.

“It stretches any reasonable credibility that it takes 18 months to compare two lists,” said Ross. “This is partisan nonsense by the most political Attorney General Wisconsin has ever had. Again, he’s either a partisan hack, or completely incompetent.”

Van Hollen was roundly criticized throughout 2008, when as the co-chair of the John McCain for President campaign, he filed a partisan lawsuit that could have disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters. Not only was Van Hollen’s lawsuit was tossed out of court, but also his vaunted “election integrity” task force pointedly refused to investigate complaints of a suspicious mailing by the McCain campaign and the Republican Party of Wisconsin that would have also threatened the registrations of untold voters.

“On behalf of the voters across Wisconsin, we are encouraging the members of the Van Hollen’s Election Integrity task force to devote their time and resources to preventing voter suppression and voter intimidation,” said Ross. “We have seen voter suppression in the past and law enforcement must be vigilant in stopping the only real widespread crime in Wisconsin when it comes to people exercising their most basic right “¢ the right to vote.”

More information about Van Hollen’s past voter suppression efforts is available at www.SaveWisconsinsVote.org. One Wisconsin Now’s partner organization, One Wisconsin Institute, also maintains a voter rights website, available at www.ProtectWisconsinsVote.org.