CAUGHT CHEATING: Racine County Sheriff’s Presentation on Nursing Home Voter Fraud

Election Integrity: Protecting Vulnerable Voters

Racine County Sheriff’s Office

Judy Investigated Her Mother’s Voting History

• Judy went on MyVote Wisconsin (www.myvote.wi.gov) and discovered her mother, Shirley, voted absentee for the November 3, 2020, election
• Shirley died on October 9, 2020 – Before the election
• According to My Vote Wisconsin, prior to being admitted to the Ridgewood Care Facility, Shirley last voted in 2016

Judy Contacts Ridgewood Care Center

• Executive Director stated that the WEC gave facility staff the authority to help residents fill out their ballots
• Judy asked how Shirley could have voted without any knowledge of current events or the news
• The Executive Director stated the staff would ask the residents who they voted for in the past and following party lines that would be their choice
• Judy asked, “So if she could only recall JFK as President, Democrat would be their choice?”
• The Executive Director answered “Yes”
• Judy asked about Shirley’s broken glasses and impaired vision – how can we know the staff member assisting filled in the ballot correctly
• The Executive Director stated he “hoped” the staff would be honest

Original Complaint to the Wisconsin Election Commission (November 24th, 2020)

• Judy filed a sworn affidavit with the Wisconsin Election Commission stating that she believed the Ridgewood Care Facility “took advantage” of her mother’s “diminished mental capacity and filled out ballot(s) in her name.”
• Shirley, Judy’s Mother
  • Broken glasses – no interest in reading or keeping up on current events
  • Difficulty recognizing her daughter
  • Could not remember her last meal
  • Would not know what day it is
  • Saw flying objects outside of her room that were not there

Mount Pleasant Village Hall

• They received letters from the Wisconsin Election Commission (“WEC”) dated March 12, 2020, June 24, 2020, and September 25, 2020, stating that “Municipalities shall not use the Special Voting Deputy process” and should instead mail the absentee ballots
• No notice was posted at any of the facilities because of COVID-19
• 42 Ridgewood residents voted
• 38 Ridgewood residents made a fresh request for an absentee ballot during 2020
• The Voting Clerk stated during a Presidential or non-Presidential election, usually approximately 10 people will vote and 0 to 3 people will make a fresh request for an absentee ballot from the Ridgewood Care Center
• RASO received copies of the Request for Absentee Ballots and the Ballot Envelopes

Wisconsin Statute 6.84

LEGISLATIVE POLICY. The legislature finds that voting is a constitutional right, the vigorous exercise of which should be strongly encouraged. In contrast, voting by absentee ballot is a privilege exercised wholly outside the traditional safeguards of the polling place. The legislature finds that the privilege of voting by absentee ballot must be carefully regulated to prevent the potential for fraud or abuse; to prevent overzealous solicitation of absent electors who may prefer not to participate in an election; to prevent undue influence on an absent elector to vote for or against a candidate or to cast a particular vote in a referendum; or other similar abuses.

Wisconsin Statute 6.875

Absentee Voting in Facilities

• This statute is the “exclusive means” of absentee voting in residential care facilities
• Shall dispatch two Special Voting Deputies (“SVDs”) to the facility
• The SVDs shall personally deliver the ballot
• NO employee (or past employee of the last two years) may be an SVD
• Notice of the SVDs visit shall be posted at the facility 
• The SVDs shall witness the vote and may assist in marking the ballot 
• The SVDs shall NOT accept an absentee ballot not issued by an SVD
• No individual other the a SVD or relative may assist the voter
• The SVDs shall seal the ballot envelope and deliver it to the clerk

§ 6.875(6)(e) – “If a qualified elector is not able to cast his or her ballot on 2 separate visits by the deputies to the home or facility, the deputies shall so inform the municipal clerk . . . Who may then send the ballot to the elector . . .”

The WEC falsely reasoned that since the Special Voting Deputies could not be allowed into any facilities, the Special Voting Deputies “program” could be “suspended”, and the municipalities could go directly to the mailing process.  The WEC also improperly/illegally  advised the facilities to have staff members assist the residents in voting.

United States Constitution

Article II, Section 1, paragraph 2 – The state legislature is to determine the “Manner” in which the President is elected

Article I, Section 4, paragraph 1 – It is up to the state legislature to determine “the Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives” 

Ridgewood Care Facility – December 18, 2020

• The Executive Director stated he “hoped” his staff was “honest” while marking the voting ballot for the residents
• The Director of Recreational Therapy stated that if a resident could only point to the ballot, her staff would fill in the appropriate dot
• The Director of Recreational Therapy was “confident” Shirley wanted to vote, but then admitted she did not have contact with Shirley – her staff would have contact with the residents
  • The Activities Aid stated if the resident did not want to vote, she would come back later
  • The Activities Aid stated she would leave the news channel on for a few days and then come back and see if the resident wanted to vote (List of preferred channels or NBC)
  • The Activities Aid stated she would keep the ballots in her desk drawer when she was waiting for the residents to decide to vote
• The procedure implemented by the facility did not comply with the instructions on the ballot envelope
• The Director of Recreational Therapy and the Activities Aids agreed that:
  • If the resident did or did not vote, the Activities Aid would place the ballot in the envelope (unsealed) and give it to the Director of Recreational Therapy
  • The Director of Recreational Therapy would seal the ballot envelope and mail it to the municipal clerk

Other Concerned Families

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