With Election Day just four days away, all eyes are going to be on potential cases of voter fraud to avoid a repeat of the 2020 election in which lawsuits claim there was mass ballot rigging that resulted in President Joe Biden’s win.
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is ramping up concerns over possible cases of ballot harvesting in Wisconsin, one of the most critical swing states that could decide the outcome of the 2024 election. CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, citing evidence of ballot harvesting being committed in plain sight.
Schlapp claimed he had photogenic evidence and an eye witness who saw alleged ballot-stuffing outside Milwaukee City Hall. The complaint states that the witness saw an individual stuffing at least 500 ballots into an unguarded ballot box and then took off once the individual realized they were being watched.
“As part of CPAC’s efforts to ensure elections are free and fair, CPAC has filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Election Commission (“WEC”) and reported to local law enforcement allegations of potential efforts to commit fraud or corruption in the voting process by an unknown individual,” Schlapp said in a statement. “CPAC received reports of illicit ballot harvesting at the dropbox location outside Milwaukee City Hall. A witness reported an individual depositing a significant number of absentee ballots into the dropbox before fleeing the scene. Ballot Harvesting is illegal under Wisconsin Law.”
Ballot harvesting, collecting completed absentee ballots from voters and delivering them to polling places or election offices, is illegal in Wisconsin. The law states that ballots are to be “mailed by the elector, or delivered in person, to the municipal clerk issuing the ballot or ballots’ unless the elector is disabled.”
Below is a portion of the witness’s statement:
I have personal knowledge of the matters set forth herein, and if called as a witness, I could and would testify competently as to the truth of such matters. On October 25, 2024, at approximately 7:55 pm, I witnessed an individual who appeared to deposit a bag full of absentee ballots into a dropbox.
It is my understanding that ballot trafficking is a violation of Wisconsin state law and that each elector must deliver their own absentee ballot unless the elector is disabled. I was sitting in my car with my son outside of the City Hall dropbox location at 200 E. Wells Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202. An individual approached the dropbox carrying two bags. One of the bags was a drawstring backup. The other bag was a large green bag with a zipper on the top. The green bag appeared to be full. I would estimate that the green bag could hold between 50 and 500 absentee ballots. The individual walked up to the drop box and reached into the green bag at least five times to empty the contents of his bag into the dropbox. While walking away from the dropbox, I watched the individual fold up the now empty green bag and proceed to put it in the drawstring backup. When the individual realized I was watching and taking pictures, the individual sprinted away.
Wisconsin has a history of razor-thin margins in national elections. In a Marist poll released Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris has a three percentage point lead over former President Donald Trump, 51-48 percent.
However, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll from earlier this week shows Trump and Harris tied in the state, 48 to 47 percent.