Northern Wisconsin Town Accused of Violating Law by Pulling Voting Machines
US DOJ threatens lawsuit against Thornapple, WI; voters with disabilities need machines.
Ryan Bedford puts a ballot into a machine while voting Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, at the Village of Waukesha Municipal Complex. Angela Major/WPR
A complaint filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission says a town in Rusk County is breaking the law by refusing to make voting machines available to voters with disabilities. Despite a warning from the U.S. Department of Justice, the town allegedly conducted the August primary election using only hand-counted, paper ballots.
“By ceasing to use electronic voting equipment and, instead, exclusively using paper ballots completed and tabulated by hand, Respondents are no longer using voting systems that are accessible for individuals with disabilities in a manner that provides the same opportunity for access and participation (including privacy and independence) as for other voters,” the complaint said.
Disability Rights Wisconsin is asking the Wisconsin Elections Commission to order Thornapple to make accessible voting machines. DRW Director of Legal and Advocacy Services Kit Kerschensteiner told WPR the goal is to ensure all town residents are able to cast private ballots in the November presidential election. She said voting machines were used without issue in Thornapple before April.
“This is not the situation of a machine that just isn’t functioning that day at the polling place,” Kerschensteiner said. “This is a place that has chosen specifically, knowing that they were disenfranchising individuals with disabilities, and choosing to go ahead and do that, which we find to be unacceptable.”
Thornapple town board supervisors declined to comment for this story.
U.S. Department of Justice threatens lawsuit if town continues refusing to use voting machines
A month before Disability Rights Wisconsin filed its complaint, the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to officials in the Town of Thornapple and the Town of Lawrence notifying them the DOJ has “authorized the filing of a lawsuit” over the federal violations.
A local resident told Votebeat that Thornapple didn’t use the federally required voting equipment during Wisconsin’s Aug. 13 election either.
In May, Thornapple Town Board Supervisor Tom Zelm told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the decision to pull voting machines was made in June 2023. Town voter and Rusk County Democratic Party chair Erin Webster told the paper the decision is tied to former President and current GOP nominee Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election being stolen by way of fraud. Webster posted a recording of a phone call purportedly with another member of Thornapple’s board online, where the supervisor said the board believes that “there was a stolen election and the computers have to go because they full of error.”
Kerschensteiner said her organization is nonpartisan and any concerns “with the sanctity of the counting” of ballots is “beyond what we’re able to do.”
“We just want to make sure that people have that right to vote,” Kerschensteiner said. “I’m sad that it’s gotten to be a partisan issue. It shouldn’t be. It’s a right of citizens, and it’s something that should just be available to all equally with a level playing field.”
Northern Wisconsin town accused of breaking the law by pulling voting machines was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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Don’t know much about Thornapple WI but looking at Wikipedia page, according to 2000 census it has a population of 811 people, 97 percent white. Median income for a family was $38,750. (Males had a median income of $32,171 versus $22,639 for females). No doubt they are influenced by billionaire Trump’s fearful rhetoric and “be your worst self” mindset. Multiply this town by thousands across the US and you get a close election which may very well end democracy.
Local “officials” who refuse to follow election law need to be removed. These sorry MAGA-Badgers have no business administering elections.
The Thornapple board continue to believe the lie despite 61 judicial cases that struck down the lie AND the fact that Biden received 81 million votes to 45’s 76 million.
What I don’t understand is why the Thornapple Board chose to pull the machines in June 2023. Was not this right around the time the fake electors were disciplined?
The sad part is the only reason the November election will be close is because of the disinformation being spread by 45’s campaign. If by chance 45 does win the election, there won’t be a single benefit for the people of Thornapple.