Right Wing Launches Campaign to Bully Wisconsin Elections Commission Into Voter Roll Purge

MADISON, Wis. — The right-wing Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is threatening legal action to compel the Wisconsin Elections Commission to more quickly purge individuals from voter rolls flagged as possibly, but not confirmed, as having moved.

The following are the statements of One Wisconsin Institute Executive Director Analiese Eicher:

“The right wing in Wisconsin has a long and shameful record of manipulating the rules on voting for their own advantage. This effort to bully the Elections Commission into a back door voter roll purge is just the latest example.

“Less than a year ago Republicans in the state legislature were trying to change the law to move date of presidential primary to boost their state court candidate’s election prospects. Today they’re threatening lawsuits to force a voter roll purge in the lead up to that same election.”

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One Wisconsin Institute was the lead plaintiff in a successful federal lawsuit striking down numerous Republican-passed laws on voting including restrictions on early voting. The lawsuit resulted in a finding that the state, under former Gov. Walker and the Republican controlled legislature, was unconstitutionally administering the state voter ID law.

According to Internal Revenue Service Tax records, the right-wing Bradley Foundation has given nearly $5 million to the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty from their inception in 2011 through 2017, the last year for which records are available. One Wisconsin Now previously exposed the Bradley Foundation connection to anonymous voter suppression billboards in Milwaukee.