Election integrity watchdog announces formal complaint in WI

AMHERST, Va., April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Amistad Project, the leading election integrity watchdog, announced today that it is filing a formal complaint filed with the Wisconsin Election Commission on behalf of five Green Bay residents who allege that city officials allowed private activist groups to control significant aspects of the 2020 elections, including ballot "curing" and vote counting.

"Hundreds of millions of dollars purchased local election offices in 2020 to benefit one political candidate, paying salaries of election officials and literally dictating the manner in which the election should be managed," said Phill Kline, Director of The Amistad Project.  "Evidence in Green Bay proves this shadow government ran the election and now it is time those involved come clean."

"This is about safeguarding future elections and establishing the precedent that private corporations and tech oligarchs should not be calling the shots," said Erick Kaardal, special counsel for The Amistad Project. "Wisconsin law puts city clerks in charge of administering elections at the local level, yet internal emails show that Green Bay's city clerk was boxed out by the mayor's office, which handed over the keys to the counting room to Michael Spitzer-Rubenstein, a representative of the leftist National Vote at Home Institute (NVHI) and a long-time Democratic Party operative."

According to the complaint, which cites emails obtained through public records requests by the Amistad Project, Spitzer-Rubenstein ran the central counting facility in Green Bay and worked with the Center for Tech and Civic Life to bring in Democrat political consultants and lawyers to set election policy in the presidential election. 

The precursor to Spitzer-Rubenstein's involvement in administering Green Bay's elections was a grant that the city received from a leftist organization called the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), which received $350 million from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. Internal emails obtained by The Amistad Project show the involvement of several other left-leaning political advisors and lawyers involved in deciding Green Bay's internal counting room policy and the city's targeting specific voter demographics favorable to Democrat Party candidates for outreach and voter turnout efforts.

"Private interests dictating how government manages elections ensures public doubt about election outcomes and involves government in playing favorites," added Kline. These concerns were first raised by The Amistad Project in litigation filed in August of 2020, and several cases are still being litigated. 

"Transparency is critical to election integrity," explained Kline, "and so we are asking the Center for Tech and Civic Life, National Vote at Home Institute, the Center for Civic Design, Mark Zuckerberg, and cities accepting monies and expertise from these groups to disclose communications regarding the 2020 election."

Emails now made public also reveal that staff of the Wisconsin Election Commission were aware of the extent of private interest involvement in the election in Green Bay and Milwaukee. In one instance, Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg writes Meaghan Wolf, Executive Administrator of the Wisconsin Election Commission, recommending the WEC participate in encouraging other cities in Wisconsin to use the services of The National Vote at Home Institute. 

"The WEC Administrator's involvement raises serious doubts regarding the objectivity of the Commission in conducting an investigation," stated Kaardal.  "Moreover, the WEC's Administrator, Meagan Wolfe, should recuse herself from investigation and all aspects of this case due to her unilateral approval of Green Bay's election conduct prior to calling a commission meeting to discuss concerns regarding Green Bay's election conduct. Fairness, openness, and a thorough review by WEC are necessary, and Ms. Wolfe has demonstrated her hostility to such an approach."

The Amistad Project also filed a document detailing the minimum investigatory effort necessary to gain an understanding of who managed the 2020 election. Green Bay was part of what private interests dubbed "the Wisconsin – 5" which invited in private interests to manage the election. Documents relating to these private interests also raise serious questions about election management in Racine, Kenosha, Madison, and Milwaukee.

"It appears these five cities invited a billionaire in the counting room and kicked America out of the counting room," Kline said. "It's only proper for Americans to be invited back in."

SOURCE Amistad Project