Focus turns to Wisconsin voter rolls in state legislature

Wisconsin’s list of voters is going to be getting a lot of attention.

Wednesday saw both members of the State Assembly’s Committee on Elections ask for a list of anyone who has access to the state’s voter rolls, as well as a lawsuit from the League of Women Voters to add people back to those rolls.

Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, and other Republicans on her committee on Wednesday sent a letter to Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe asking for the “who, what, where and when regarding Wisconsin’s election databases and voting rolls.”

“We are concerned that Wisconsin’s voter rolls and voting system remain secure, protected and accurate,” the lawmakers wrote.

Specifically Brandtjen and her committee is asking Wolfe for technical specifics about the state’s voter database, including where it’s hosted, who built it, who maintains it, and who has access to the data.

Brandtjen also wants to know if any outside groups asked for, and/or was given permission, to access Wisconsin’s voter information.

“Please provide an exact copy of the API code or software that allowed any and all private, for-profit, non-governmental, non-profit, political party or any type of lobbying or advocacy group to directly access WisVote, MyVote or any other part of the Statewide System or the Voter Identification Database at any time during the years of 2020 and 2021,” her letter asks. “Please also provide logs, registries and any other records of the times and dates any or all of these parties accessed the Statewide System or the Voter Identification Database, or any other data system operated or controlled by the State of Wisconsin in 2020 and 2021.”

Brandtjen and her committee have been leading an investigation into last year’s election in Wisconsin, with a particular focus on the so-called Zuckerbucks and how that money impacted vote operations in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Racine, and Kenosha.

“Understanding who has access to the voter rolls, including who maintains them and who has the ability to manipulate them, is paramount to election security,” Brandtjen said.

On Wednesday, The League of Women voters filed a lawsuit in Madison to restore nearly 32,000 voters that the Elections Commission declared inactive.

None of those voters have voted in years. The League says they were not given “proper notification” before being deactivated.