Reports of Voter Intimidation in Wisconsin

Mark Belling of News Talk 1130 WISN in Milwaukee confirmed he had spoken with witnesses of voter intimidation at the polls in the spring elections that took place today.  Democrats characterized the non-partisan judicial election that took place today as a vote against Governor Scott Walker and the budget bill that has offended some union members in Wisconsin and union activists from outside Wisconsin.  The Wisconsin Supreme Court may hear the case challenging the validity of the law and the outcome of this election could determine the decision reached by the Court.

Village of Grafton Police were called to the Grafton Town Hall because election officials were concerned that protesters were too close to the polling place and were not following the rules established by Wisconsin's Election Authority or Government Accountability Board (GAB).  Two witnesses confirmed that a Police Officer who reported to address the incident apparently refused to deal with the protesters initially.  Jessica Schmidt, Grafton Town Clerk, and another witness heard the officer say, "I used to be a conservative but I’m not anymore."  Apparently, this behavior was a result of the recent debate over union rights that has consumed Wisconsin.  The officer then walked outside and without addressing the issues presented by the protesters and refused to do his job, allowing the intimidation to continue.  The officer’s behavior was apparently upsetting enough that an elderly poll worker was shaking immediately following the incident and needed to be calmed down by a nurse that was present at the polling place.   

When Belling contacted the Police Chief, he told him he was not aware of that specific allegation.  Schmidt, the Town Clerk, was personally aware that the Grafton Police were informed of the incident.  Another witness stated said she personally called dispatcher at Village of Grafton Police Department to report the incident.  As Belling pointed out, the Police Chief should have been aware about this allegation of unprofessional behavior and it should have been immediately addressed.  It is inappropriate for an officer to refuse to do his job on the basis of a political preference and to allow election intimidation to occur in any situation.

The podcast of Mark Belling’s talk radio show can be listened to here.