Without Election Integrity, We Have No Voice
The 2024 election cycle is underway and election integrity needs our laser focused attention. Those who rely on corruption as the path to power and control insist our elections are secure. They are assisted by the dishonest media who shun their obligation to serve as the watchdogs of truth intended by our founders. Our elections are not secure. They are riddled with opportunities for cheating and a massive grassroots movement will be required to demand the changes that are necessary to restore integrity and the trust of the voters. No one who loves freedom can afford to sit on the sidelines.
On October 24, a joint committee of both houses of the Wisconsin legislature held a hearing on a number of proposed amendments to the state Constitution. The first will ban non-citizens from voting in national, state, or local elections or referendums. This is necessary to prevent any community in Wisconsin from allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections, as we have seen in some states.
If this amendment passes both houses, it will go to the voters for a statewide referendum. Amendments to the Constitution can only go to the voters for referendum if they pass both houses in two sessions of the legislature. The amendment related to non-citizen voting already passed both houses in the last session.
The next two amendments have not yet passed either house and, if passed this session, will have to go before both houses again in the next legislative session to move forward as referenda to the voters.
The first will amend the state Constitution to require voter identification to be eligible to vote.
The second will ban the use of private money or equipment to administer elections and will protect Wisconsin voters from election interference as was experienced in 2020 with Mark Zuckerberg’s foundation grants.
Using voter referenda to let the people decide these matters is a reasonable approach. The governor cannot veto putting these issues on the ballot. However, the urgency of the moment cannot be met by the pace of the legislative process and, though these amendments are worth pursuing, the greatest threat to our election integrity lies within the “registered voter lists” maintained by the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC).
There are nearly 5.9 million people living in Wisconsin; 4.7 million of them are adults. The Wisconsin Elections Commission maintains voter registration lists that contain more than 4 million ineligible voters. The total number of names on the voter registration lists, comprised of both eligible and ineligible voters, is 7.5 million, far more than the number of voting age residents in our state. Members of the WEC staff defend this practice with talk about the “historical” value of maintaining lists of ineligible names, but it’s obvious that this enormous pool of voter names is ripe for tapping for illegal ballots by those who make cheating a way of life. There is no legitimate reason to maintain ineligible voter lists. We must demand that our legislators require ineligible names to be purged immediately.
The dishonesty of the mainstream media and their willingness to participate in diverting and distracting from the very real flaws in our election system threaten our freedom. Dick Ellis, Publisher of On Wisconsin Outdoors (OWO), loves freedom and is committed to using OWO as a vehicle to fight for the restoration of election integrity in Wisconsin. He and his brother, John Ellis, (both are my brothers) will be exposing the truth, naming names, and providing voters with all of the information needed to mobilize with a unified voice and demand the changes required to ensure our elections express the will of the people. The rest is up to us. The November/December issue of OWO will be out the first week of November. It is available free at Kwik Trips across the state and online at onwisconsinoutdoors.com. Follow their serious investigative reporting in each upcoming issue. Be informed. Share what you learn with everyone you know, and, most importantly, respond to the urgent calls for action.
Integrity and trustworthiness have fallen by the wayside in many facets of American life. Dishonesty has become a hallmark of our political system. When I ended my race for Governor in September 2022 to support Republican candidate Tim Michels, supporters of Tony Evers spent well over $1 million in just a few weeks trying to deceive conservative voters into voting for me. They knew I was no longer a candidate. Winning was everything and their end justified their means.
The only way to prevent cheating in our elections is to secure the system with safeguards that cannot be penetrated. It is the unfettered will of the people that makes us free. Without election integrity, we have no voice.