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The Department of Justice is taking action against Wisconsin for reportedly failing to comply with federal election rules, threatening to withhold federal funds for future elections in the state.
In a letter sent to the Wisconsin Election Commission, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon notified the group on Wednesday that they were not in compliance with the Helping Americans Vote Act (HAVA), claiming they had failed to provide Wisconsin voters a complaint and hearing process regarding their election integrity concerns.
“Meeting this requirement is a condition of receiving HA VA funding from the federal government,” Dhillon’s letter read.
“Quite surprisingly, we have learned that the Wisconsin Elections Commission has refused to provide any administrative complaint process or hearing regarding HAVA complaints against the Commission,” she added. “Rather, Wisconsin has decided to rely on a 2022 state court case opining that the Commission cannot police itself.”
According to the notice, the commission’s alleged actions have resulted in massive complaints of HAVA violations, with “without any recourse” and “no opportunity or means to appeal,” leaving complainants “stranded with their grievances.”
“We are hereby notifying the U.S. Election Assistance Commission of Wisconsin’s failure to follow federal elections laws, Dhillon concluded. “Your actions justify a bar against the Wisconsin Elections Commission receiving any future funding from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.”
According to the DOJ, the Wisconsin Election Commission is responsible for coming into immediate compliance with the law; otherwise, they would risk losing their future federal election funding.
A comprehensive, enforced complaint process would likely give officials the ability to carry out election rules in the state, according to Democracy Docket.
Amid President Trump’s campaign promise to better secure U.S. elections, the Justice Department also filed suit against North Carolina in May, claiming the state failed to properly gather information from voters as required by HAVA.
