As the midterm primary elections approach in Wisconsin, concerns about the integrity of mail-in voting continue to linger. U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Madison, took proactive steps to address these concerns by touring Milwaukee’s election operations center, seeking to bolster public trust in the electoral process.
Recently, the FBI initiated an investigation into the 2020 election results in Milwaukee. This probe persists despite numerous audits, both nonpartisan and partisan, which have consistently found no significant election fraud in the state where President Donald Trump narrowly lost to Joe Biden.
Milwaukee has repeatedly been a focal point of Trump’s criticism, particularly since the 2020 election. On Election Day, Trump appeared to have a lead in Wisconsin until ballots from Milwaukee, a Democratic stronghold and the state’s largest city, were processed, overturning his lead. This sequence of events has fueled unfounded allegations from Trump and his supporters that Milwaukee manipulated the vote count against him.
Senator Baldwin, joined by Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the city’s elections chief Paulina Gutiérrez, emphasized the integrity of Wisconsin’s elections, stating, “Discrepancies have been extremely minor in our state, so our elections are safe. They are secure, and there’s really no evidence to the contrary.”
Before Vice President JD Vance’s recent engagement in Milwaukee, Mayor Johnson penned a letter to Vance, urging him to abandon the investigation into the 2020 election. Johnson underscored the city’s commitment to electoral integrity, inviting Vance to witness the operations firsthand, stating, “Elections in Milwaukee and in Wisconsin are conducted with diligence, honesty, and scrupulous attention to the law.”
Senator Baldwin echoed Johnson’s sentiments during her visit, expressing concern that revisiting settled election security debates could undermine voter confidence in the upcoming midterms. She stated, “Joe Biden won Wisconsin in 2020, and that is indisputable. Milwaukee County had a recount. There was a nonpartisan audit that confirmed that there was no widespread fraud in the state of Wisconsin. But Trump is now reheating those lies.”
Amid these developments, Trump has continued to claim, without evidence, that the midterms will be manipulated against him. In a national address in mid-July, he reiterated these allegations. Additionally, Trump had previously signed an executive order intended to limit mail-in voting by mandating that the postal service only deliver ballots to a verified list of eligible voters. However, this order has faced legal challenges, with two federal courts deeming it unconstitutional. Trump has now turned to the U.S. Supreme Court for a decision, as reported earlier this week (source).
Elissa Eaton contributed reporting.
