ALERT: Kathy Nickolaus Threatens to Destroy Votes before Audit

While many county clerks have been open and transparent, county clerks all over Wisconsin are mysteriously trying to stop a non-partisan grassroots effort to verify the recall election for Scott Walker, and one clerk is taking things to a whole new level. Friday, Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus informed the Wisconsin Wave and the "Hand Count the Votes Now!" coalition that she plans to illegally destroy all ballots in Waukesha County before her results can be verified with a hand count. According to the Wisconsin Wave, she "threatened" to begin the malfeasance "as early as noon today."

After the Walker recall election, discrepancies in the results prompted the non-partisan grassroots coalition to begin hand counting ballots throughout Wisconsin with open records requests. Even though the exit polls released at the beginning of election night had the race in a very tight 50/50, the official results were an unusual deviation of 53/46 for Walker. Then during the recount in Racine County, citizen-observers double-checked the gubernatorial results in the county and found "statistically significant discrepancies" that gave Walker more votes in the official GAB results than were actually cast for him. For the past month, volunteers have been working hard to verify the integrity of the recall election and uncover any more issues.

Unfortunately, "Hand Count the Votes Now!" and Wisconsin Wave volunteers have already uncovered many more "serious election integrity issues including lax ballot bag security, widespread use of [illegal] unverifiable touch screen voting machines, and most disturbingly, wards where the hand counts differ significantly from election night machine reported totals!"

Altering the results of an election and causing such discrepancies isn't as difficult as many people would have you believe. We saw many examples of these problems last year during the Wisconsin Supreme Court election of David Prosser. I've written many posts about the issues with Wisconsin's electronic election machines that allow one person to easily manipulate thousands of votes without detection. The only way we can be sure that something nefarious or accidental didn't happen to change the outcome of the recall election is to hand count the votes, something that is done in a very small number of Wisconsin counties.

Over the last two years, Wisconsin has been given many reasons to believe that some of our election equipment may have been circumvented. Unfortunately, we've been given very little to increase our confidence. Now, when we try to find answers for ourselves, public servants are standing in our way. County clerks who refuse to allow their ballots to be audited are failing their duty to their constituents.

Waukesha County itself has been an excellent demonstration of our failed policies, and the county continues to generate serious concerns. In July, an audit revealed that Kathy Nickolaus secretly changed the programming on the Waukesha County election equipment some time between certification and the April election, causing a failure in reporting during the election. Nickolaus confirmed she made a change but has refused to say what she changed, and it's not publicly known just how much of an involvement she had in the Walker recall election.

Now, Nickolaus is refusing to let Wisconsin know the true results of the recall election in Waukesha County. Not only is she refusing the legal open records request for access to the ballots, but she's threatening to destroy all evidence of the recall election in Waukesha County before the request process is even complete. While the law states that an appeal brought within 60 days of her refusal must be heard, she's making it clear how high the stakes are for her.

Nickolaus's threat only increases the justification for our concerns. If there is nothing to hide, why refuse the hand count? And what would bring someone to destroy records before an audit can take place? Kathy Nickolaus is definitely hiding something, and we must force her to show her cards before she destroys them!

The Wisconsin Wave is planning a rally today across the street from the Waukesha County government building from 11am-1pm to make it clear we mean business. If you're near Waukesha today, please consider joining the rally.

Call the GAB at (608) 266-8005 or email at gab@wi.gov to demand them to stop the destruction of ballots. If Nickolaus destroys the ballots, there is no way to find out what happened in Waukesha County.

Ballots from the recall election in at least 10 more counties will be counted over the next two weeks, but an additional 20-30 counties are in reach. Since this is a grassroots effort of people like you and me volunteering to count ballots, they really need volunteers and funds. While many county clerks are being reasonable, other county clerks are mysteriously charging unrealistically high fees in order to audit their ballots. So, the more funds the Wisconsin Wave can get, the better for the integrity of Wisconsin's elections.

For more information on the Hand Count the Votes Now! effort, see the Wisconsin Wave page.

If you want to help make sure there are no more undiscovered issues and ensure the integrity of our elections, please volunteer or contribute to the non-partisan grassroots effort at Wisconsin Wave. If there are undiscovered security lapses in our elections, we need to know and fix them. If someone has manipulated our elections, we need to know and prosecute them.

Update: At the last minute, Waukesha County thankfully announced that they will not be destroying the ballots.

Republicans Waste Millions By Refusing To Fix Illegal Gerrymandering

Yesterday, a panel of three Federal judges, two Republican-appointed, and one Democrat-appointed, ordered the unconstitutionally gerrymandered maps fixed. However, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said there is "not a chance" the Republicans will be willing to fix their gerrymandering. The Republicans may have already spent over a million dollars in taxpayer money trying to keep their gerrymandering secret and defending it in court. If the Republicans won't fix the maps, new maps will be created through the courts and will likely result in millions of dollars in taxpayer money wasted on the Republicans gerrymandering our districts, because none of the new maps can be used until the maps are fixed.

The Democrats have been pleading on the side of Wisconsin citizens to fix the gerrymandering. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca said, "We need to immediately begin to redraw the maps in a manner that is fully open and transparent and does not, in the words of the court, 'needlessly move' more than a million citizens of Wisconsin," and Senate Democrat Leader Mark Miller said, "It is ridiculous that Republicans would ignore a court order to fix an unlawful map."

Wisconsin can't afford to waste more money on this crap. Republicans, you clearly f-ed up, now man and woman up, and fix it!

Tell the Republicans to fix their unconstitutional gerrymandering instead of wasting more taxpayer money, and tell the Democrats to crank up the pressure in support of the rights of Wisconsin citizens. This is ridiculous!

Permanent Injunction of Unconstitutional Voter Suppression Upheld

Two weeks ago, the Voter Suppression Law requiring an ID to vote that was passed by the far-right Republicans in Wisconsin was found unconstitutional by two judges, one from conservative Waukesha and one from liberal Dane. Both judges found the law to be unconstitutional, because the law goes "steps beyond the proper authority of the Legislature" to restrict voting by specific groups. Judge Richard Niess, the second judge said in his order, "The government may not disqualify an elector who possesses those qualifications not contained in Article III, such as a photo ID." The unconstitutional law was then halted by a temporary and a permanent injunction from the respective judges.

However, Governor Scott Walker, by demanding the injunctions be stayed, continued to insist upon suppressing the votes of the poor, the elderly, and minorities. Walker and the Republican leadership lit a fire under the normally slow-moving Attorney General Van Hollen's butt to appeal the decisions. Remember, Van Hollen refused to help the FBI in their criminal investigation of Walker and his aides as well as the election debacle in Waukesha last spring. Fortunately for the people of Wisconsin, our judges will have none of that.

Last week, Judge David T. Flanagan denied Walker's request to stay his temporary injunction, and yesterday, Judge Niess denied Walker's request to stay his permanent injunction. Niess said, "It is no law at all."

So, no more IDs to vote, and it doesn't sound like any judge would have a leg to stand on in support of the constitutionality of the law. Judge Niess said that would be a clear case of judicial activism. So, we likely will never need IDs to vote, as should have always been the case. Otherwise, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, where Walker is trying to send both cases, is more than FUBAR.

For those of you worried about increased voter fraud, the Voter Suppression Law wouldn't stop any of Wisconsin's previous cases of voter fraud. So, our elections are protected as well with and without the Voter Suppression Law. This is one of the reasons it's unjustified and unconstitutional, it doesn't make any practical effort towards stopping voter fraud, but it makes great strides to limit the voting of certain groups.

No more IDs and no more asking for IDs to vote. Make sure everyone knows so they can save money by not purchasing one. The halting of free photo IDs is one reason the permanent injunction won't be lifted unless the Republicans can somehow prove the law is constitutional.

Injunction of Unconstitutional Voter Suppression Upheld

Last week, the far-right Republican Voter Suppression Law that adds the unjustified requirement of showing only certain types of photo ID to vote was stopped by a temporary injunction ordered from one Wisconsin judge, and then later in the week another Wisconsin judge issued a permanent injunction against the law. Both judges found the law to be unconstitutional, because the law goes "steps beyond the proper authority of the Legislature" to restrict voting by specific groups. Judge Richard Niess, the second judge said in his order, "The government may not disqualify an elector who possesses those qualifications not contained in Article III, such as a photo ID."

Walker and the Republican leadership lit a fire under the normally slow-moving Attorney General Van Hollen's butt to appeal the decisions. Remember, Van Hollen refused to help the FBI in their criminal investigation of Walker and his aides as well as the election debacle in Waukesha last spring. However, today, the first judge, David T. Flanagan in Waukesha, struck down the motion, finding that "based on careful scrutiny" the law "is in violation of the Wisconsin Constitution," and there doesn't seem to be any argument otherwise.

So, no more IDs to vote, and it doesn't sound like any judge would have a leg to stand on in support of the constitutionality of the law. Judge Niess said that would be a clear case of judicial activism. So, we likely will never need IDs to vote, as should have always been the case. Otherwise, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, where Van Hollen is trying to send both cases, is more than FUBAR.

For those of you worried about increased voter fraud, the Voter Suppression Law wouldn't stop any of Wisconsin's previous cases of voter fraud. So, our elections are protected as well with and without the Voter Suppression Law. This is one of the reasons it's unjustified and unconstitutional, it doesn't make any practical effort towards stopping voter fraud, but it makes great strides to limit the voting of certain groups.

No more IDs and no more asking for IDs to vote. Make sure everyone knows so they can save money by not purchasing one. The halting of free photo IDs is one reason the permanent injunction won't be lifted unless the Republicans can prove the law is constitutional.

Voter Suppression Permanently Injuncted

Last week Tuesday, a Dane Country judge granted a temporary injunction halting the unconstitutional Voter Suppression Law that adds the historic and unjustified requirement of showing only certain types of photo ID to vote. Upset that they couldn't get their way, the far-right Republicans in control of Wisconsin ordered our Department of Justice to try to lift the injunction on Friday. Today, another judge told the Republicans, "The government may not disqualify an elector who possesses those qualifications not contained in Article III, such as a photo ID." The judge also granted a permanent injunction instead of a temporary injunction.

For those of you worried about increased voter fraud, the Voter Suppression Law wouldn't stop any of Wisconsin's previous cases of voter fraud. So, our elections are protected as well with and without the Voter Suppression Law.

No more IDs to vote, and probably never again! No more Republican voter suppression!

Scott Walker Supporters to March on Wisconsin GAB

Rachel Maddow broke the news that Scott Walker supporters are planning on protesting at the Government Accountability Board office this Friday. According to this note on Facebook, the group Let's march for Scott Walker is asking people to "March on the GAB! Protect your vote!" They say the recall process isn't fair, and their vote is "watered down" by the recall process. What they clearly don't understand is that they can simply vote again, that's fair.

Nearly as many people stood out in the cold to recall Walker as voted for him in a warm polling building, and until the Voter Suppression Bill goes into effect, voting for one candidate is easier than signing a recall petition. I'd say that's more than enough to suggest he should undergo another election and so does the Wisconsin Constitution.

Here are some choice statements from the note:

• The GAB and the system are failing to protect the citizens of Wisconsin who voted November 2010.
• Signatures on the recall petitions out weigh the voter
• GAB does not have the ability to verify over a million signatures!
• GAB Will you listen to the registered voter who voted Nov 2010?
• GAB does listen to signatures that cannot be truly verified!
• Tell the GAB we do not want our vote watered down.
• GAB, FORGET the lawyers. Use common sense. Our state and Country's future is at stake! You MUST do your mission. Protect the vote! Do NOT protect all the signatures!

These people are called uninformed voters, and they are the main reason people like Scott Walker get elected. Help everyone by doing your best to politely inform.

However, there's a very scary statement in there. "Do NOT protect all the signatures!" Republicans, in particular the Scotts (Walker and Fitzgerald), need to publicly denounce such notions and confirm the credibility of the recall process. You tried recalling Democrats, but just because you couldn't get enough signatures doesn't mean the process for which you sought is somehow now flawed.

The Definition of a Super PAC

Super PAC: a frothy mix of lube and campaign funding that is sometimes the byproduct of politics.

You hear the term thrown around a lot, Super PAC or SuperPAC. But many people ask what is a Super PAC? A great visionary in Super PAC development, Stephen Colbert, provided this simple definition. He gave us this definition during his television program, The Colbert Report, on Thursday. A Super PAC is a frothy mix of lube and campaign funding that is sometimes the byproduct of politics.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

If you want to help change this, support the DISCLOSE Act.

In case you're interested, here's the real definition on Wikipedia.

WI Attorney General Van Hollen Declines Work - Deserves An Investigation

Apparently J.B. Van Hollen is too busy for real AG work, because he's declined to investigate potential election fraud in Waukesha County and former Walker aides who may have violated law. Van Hollen declined to help the FBI with their secret Walker investigation after they requested his assistance. The FBI doesn't waste time, there's definitely a fishy smell emanating from the Walker camp. Yet, Van Hollen spent years investigating voter fraud when no rational mind suspects an issue of any real significance, and the results were what we expected, no significant voter fraud.

Tens of thousands of Wisconsinites and several high-profile people asked Van Hollen to investigate the glaring election issues in Waukesha County after the Supreme Court election in which David Prosser won by a very small margin, where significant election fraud may have occurred. However, J.B. Van Hollen declined to make any effort to investigate. Instead, the Government Accountability Board appointed a special investigator, Timothy Verhoff. Verhoff has now completed his investigation, only a few months later. Was the office of J.B. Van Hollen really so busy that they couldn't investigate?

Now, the FBI has asked J.B. Van Hollen to assist in their previously secret investigation of former Walker aides. What could possibly make Van Hollen believe the FBI is wrong in investigating these aides? If the FBI is wrong, shouldn't Van Hollen assist the FBI in coming to that conclusion?

Putting this all together what picture do we paint? Van Hollen has a very selective bias when it comes to what he chooses to investigate, but a very simple threshold. Will the investigation help Republicans? Yes, then investigate. No, then keep as quiet as possible. The investigations into voter fraud created a buzz around the words "voter fraud," most likely enabling the passage of the Voter Suppression Bill, which helps Republicans win more elections by suppressing votes for Democrats. Investigating election fraud in Waukesha County during the Supreme Court election could have resulted in a win for Kloppenburg, hurting Republicans, but keeping quiet left the status quo. Assisting the investigation of former Walker aides could potentially bring light to areas the FBI is dark on, potentially incriminating more aides and Walker himself. That would for sure hurt the Republicans, but keeping quiet can only help.

I'm sorry Mr. Van Hollen, but the people of Wisconsin, your employer, want you to do your job! You don't get a big fat paycheck to investigate only the things you're interested in. J.B. Van Hollen, you are a disgrace to your position and the State of Wisconsin. I think it's time for an investigation of J.B. Van Hollen's office, if there isn't already an ongoing secret FBI investigation. Tell Wisconsin why you won't investigate these very serious allegations when you'll investigate frivolous claims for years.

Want more reason to suspect politicizing by Van Hollen, check this out:

Assembly Republicans Advance Voter Suppression Bill - Full Assembly Vote Next Week

According to the Journal Sentinel, the Voter Suppression Bill (AB7) was passed out of committee on a party-line vote. The Republicans are trying to quickly ram this bill through before the recall elections, because the bill reduces the number of voters who can and will vote, particularly those who vote for Democrats and who already lack a voice in our communities. Read this post for more information about why the Voter Suppression Bill proposes a fake solution and is a very expensive distraction (it'll cost yearly more than the current recount) from our real issues.

The Voter Suppression Bill is a fake solution, because the bill (which is meant to prevent voter fraud) won't prevent any of the at most 20 improper votes in recent elections. So it doesn't even do what the Republicans say it will do, and it costs us much more of our time and money. This bill is a fraud.

The bill was amended to allow certain school IDs, but none of the UW schools include the necessary information for them to be used. I'm not sure about the status of IDs from other higher education institutions in Wisconsin, but it's likely the amendment allows the use of very few current student IDs. We will in one way or another pay for those IDs to be updated as well, otherwise it's called a poll tax. The amendment doesn't address those costs. So the amendment is just as careless as the rest of the bill.

By allowing only certain student IDs, the Republicans have shown how arbitrary the photo ID requirement is. People in Wisconsin haven't been voting in place of other people, and honestly it's very difficult to make any sort of impact by travelling around, waiting in line, and hoping to use just the right names. They could strengthen or loosen the requirement, and the only thing it would do is change the number of voters who can and will vote. It's a frivolous requirement.

To have any influence, voter fraud requires a true conspiracy on a level the United States has not seen. However, by manipulating voting machine tallies, one person can swing a statewide election. That doesn't require a conspiracy.

We must stop this horrific bill now or we may never have fair elections in Wisconsin again! The Republicans are planning to turn the bill into law in the next couple of weeks, and they plan to schedule a vote in the full Assembly as early as next week.

Please, contact your state representatives and tell them why you think the Voter Suppression Bill is detrimental to Wisconsin.

Instead of wasting millions of taxpayer money on a very expensive solution to a teeny tiny issue that won't even work, let's try to find real solutions to our election issues.

Note: I still have to read the actual language of the amendment instead of interpretations by the news media, but I will post any unexpected changes if necessary.