Failed County Board Candidate Charged With Election Fraud

Milwaukee County Courthouse. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

A would-be challenger to Milwaukee County Supervisor Steve Taylor has been charged with election fraud.

Andrew Matias of Oak Creek attempted to run against Taylor in District 17, which represents Oak Creek and parts of Franklin. He never gained access to the ballot, and his nomination papers raised red flags for the Milwaukee County Election Commission and the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.

Matias was charged with one count of election fraud, a felony, on Thursday, May 23. A criminal complaint filed by the DA’s office details how Matias allegedly signed nomination papers circulated by other people on his behalf. The complaint also includes messages Matias sent on Facebook.

Matias failed to collect enough nomination signatures to gain access to the ballot. But he and others also filed conflicting affidavits asserting they collected the same signatures.

“Based on the conflicting nature of these affidavits, this investigation commenced,” according to the criminal complaint drafted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Westphal.

A review of the nomination papers and interviews with the signatories and circulators led the DA’s office to conclude that Matias falsely certified that he collected nomination signatures on at least three pages of nomination papers.

“These false statements pertained to his candidacy and were intended to gain his admission to the ballot, which thus intended to affect voting at an election,” the complaint states.

During the investigation, the DA’s office even obtained messages between Matias and a circulator instructing them to bring him the signatures they collected so he could sign his name to them.

“Don’t worry about certifying the signatures with your information,” he said in a message on Dec. 27, 2023. “You can leave the bottom blank and I can sign.”

The message was sent before Matias signed his name to the papers, according to the criminal complaint, which adds, “This conversation demonstrates that Matias was aware that the nomination forms required the circulator to certify the signatures.”

If Matias is convicted he faces fines up to $10,000 and incarceration up to three-and-a-half years.

Read the full criminal complaint on Urban Milwaukee.