Wis. Probes Gov. Vote-Buying Charges

Guardian Unlimited ^ | October 23, 2002

[Republican_Strategist]

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A prosecutor said Wednesday he is investigating allegations that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Doyle's campaign traded food and money to secure votes at a bingo party.

WTMJ-TV reported Tuesday that Doyle campaign workers set up the party and offered free soda, coffee and pastries to residents of a low-income hotel in Kenosha. After the bingo, the residents were told they could vote by absentee ballot in another room.

Kenosha County District Attorney Robert Jambois said he planned to drive to WTMJ in Milwaukee later Wednesday to view footage the station shot at the hotel, which showed residents winning cans of soda and quarters during the games.

State law prohibits giving people anything worth more than $1 to try to get them to vote or keep them from voting. WTMJ reported that many residents won 75 cents in quarters and a can of soda, along with the pastry.

Doyle, the state attorney general, is locked in a tight race with Republican Gov. Scott McCallum. Doyle's campaign did not immediately return a call Wednesday.

Jambois said the event was held at the Dayton Hotel, which caters to people on state and federal assistance on reduced rent. Some have psychological or mental health issues and some are simply unemployed, Jambois said.

An Elections Board official called prosecutors to tell them about the TV report, Jambois said. He said there is nothing illegal about the actual voting.

Rick Graber, chairman of the state Republican Party, said the Doyle campaign's ``exploitation of the mentally disabled to score a few votes is appalling, unscrupulous and downright immoral.''

A poll released Tuesday shows Doyle holding a narrow lead over the governor.

The We the People/Wisconsin statewide poll of 600 likely voters showed Doyle with 46 percent support and McCallum with 38 percent. The sampling margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

[Piquaboy]

I am sure that the Democratic Party would not do something so dastardly as buy votes.

[Bob Buchholz]

Rick Graber, chairman of the state Republican Party, said the Doyle campaign's ``exploitation of the mentally disabled to score a few votes is appalling, unscrupulous and downright immoral.''

If they didn't let the mentally disabled vote, the democrats couldn't compete.

[trebb]

"If they didn't let the mentally disabled vote, the democrats couldn't compete."

Which makes it all the scarier that they have so much power in the country...

[bandleader]

Is This Menat To Be A Surprise?A democRAT buying votes??All I Want To Know Is If The Sodas,Coffee,and Pastries Were Purchased With State Monies!!!!!!!!

[Commiewatcher]

"State law prohibits giving people anything worth more than $1 to try to get them to vote or keep them from voting. WTMJ reported that many residents won 75 cents in quarters and a can of soda, along with the pastry."

Guess they can't pass out cigarettes anymore.

[dalebert]

I spoke to some people who just moved from Wis. They told me that after living there 20 years it dawned on them that it was a waste of time to vote because the Dems had it locked up.

[steveegg]

AP doesn't quite get all of this right (same dispatch with a different title is also on FoxNews.com), though it's encouraging that our friends across The Pond (and no, not Lake Michigan) picked this up (paging Matt Drudge; 'tis time to update the link). The location was a group home for the mentally-disabled, which used to be a low-income hotel. Also, they fail to mention that the DA looking into this is on Doyle's campaign steering committee.

Original thread (with at last check 267 replies) here, and an interesting take from WisPolitics.com posted here.

[sneakypete]

Why does anybody think anything will come of this? Remember the rich Dim woman from NYC who was going around in Wisconsin during the 2000 elections,and paying homeless people,drunks,addicts,and others a carton of cigarettes or a bottle of whiskey to vote Dim? She even rented vans to take them around to vote. She was actually arrested for this,but does ANYBODY remember any reports of any actual punishment being handed out to her? Wanna bet that at MOST she paid a small fine and went back to her penthouse?