Wisconsin Right to Life alleged to have engaged in bribery

Wait…..what?!? Another right-wing group may have broken election laws?!? Say it ain’t so!

A Milwaukee County prosecutor is examining allegations that abortion opponents offered rewards for volunteers who signed up sympathetic voters in Wisconsin’s high-stakes Senate recall elections.

Predictably, some on the right have been quick to poo-poo this story as being “fake.” What’s being alleged is that Wisconsin Right to Life engaged in illegal behavior by offering something of value to to volunteers who hit targets for persuading voters to fill out absentee ballot applications. In this case, the “something of value” were gift cards ranging in value from $25 to $75.

While some on the right have dismissed the allegations, they may in fact “have legs,” as noted by the illustrious illusory tenant, who points out an interesting section of Wisconsin State Statutes:

Wis. Stat. § 12.11(1m), in pertinent part:

Any person who offers or promises to give anything of value to any elector or to any other person, in order to induce any elector to:

1. Go to or refrain from going to the polls.
2. Vote or refrain from voting.
3. Vote or refrain from voting for or against a particular person.

I’m not an attorney, but the relevant passage seems to be, “Any person who offers or promises to give anything of value to any elector or to any other person, in order to induce any elector….”

In offering to give gift cards – which obviously have value – to volunteers in order to get those volunteers to induce others to vote, Wisconsin Right to Life seems to have clearly broken the law, and I can only hope that Wisconsin Right to Life will be punished appropriately for blatantly breaking election laws.

You can read more about the attempts by right-wing groups to unethically (and quite possibly illegally) influence Wisconsin’s elections HERE.