A liberal group in Wisconsin is facing accusations of running a massive election bribery scheme in the upcoming state Supreme Court race, according to a report from Dan O’Donnell with 1130 WISN.
Wisconsin Takes Action, a new organization, has been sending thousands of texts to Wisconsinites offering them the chance to earn over $250 by talking to friends and family about voting for liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz.
However, the offer amounts to election bribery, which is a felony in Wisconsin.
Participants who respond to the text expressing interest in the offer are given instructions to log in to a live training session on Zoom in which organizers explain how the program works.
The program uses a technique called “relational organizing,” in which community mobilizers are paid per person they deliver to Wisconsin Takes Action’s database and then repeatedly contact them to ensure that they vote for Protasiewicz.
Mobilizers are paid in gift cards or a prepaid Mastercard.
The scheme violates Wisconsin Statute § 12.11, which prohibits giving any person anything of value in exchange for inducing electors to go to the polls and vote for a specific candidate.
Wisconsin Takes Action has not yet responded to a request for comment about its program and whether it believes it comports with state law.
Organizing Empowerment Political Action Committee (PAC) is the main force behind Wisconsin Takes Action.
While none of the group’s organizers on the Zoom training call seemed to know much about how it was funded or who would be paying for the community mobilizers’ gift cards, Organizing Empowerment spent more than $300,000 in support of Democratic Senate candidates during the 2022 midterm election cycle.
The primary force behind Wisconsin Takes Action is the Organizing Empowerment Political Action Committee (PAC), which spent more than $300,000 in support of Democratic Senate candidates during the 2022 midterm election cycle.
The PAC has not yet responded to requests for comment on its involvement in Wisconsin Takes Action.
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race can be seen as something of a test run for the scheme, and if it works well, the plan is to expand the effort into every swing state for the 2024 presidential race.
