close
close
awsum

Social media claims about non-citizen voting in Wisconsin are false

Neon
Social media claims about non-citizen voting in Wisconsin are false

play

With the election just two weeks away, one of the most common claims on social platforms like X and Facebook is that large numbers of non-citizens are voting.

The false claim has been repeated countless times by former President Donald Trump and published dozens of times. X is owned by Elon Musk.

And many of these posts sow distrust in Wisconsin elections in particular.

For example, online personality Peter Bernegger, an election denier known for filing more than a dozen lawsuits against state and local officials, telling his 45,000 followers on X last month that “there are 300,000 non-citizens and illegals ready to vote in our elections” in Wisconsin.

Bernegger linked his statement to data showing the Department of Transportation has issued more than 258,000 driver’s licenses to noncitizens since 2019, and said the information was obtained through a public records request.

Only U.S. citizens who show valid proof of residence can vote in Wisconsin elections.

DOT spokesman John DesRivieres declined to confirm those figures or comment on Bernegger’s claims, citing the department’s policy against talking about pending litigation.

But inside request to dismiss a lawsuit making similar allegations Last month, DOT lawyers said Wisconsin had “many controls in place to ensure that only citizens can vote.”

In its proposal, DOT stated that people must prove that they are a U.S. citizen or legal resident in order to obtain a driver’s license or ID card. Federal REAL ID Act requires All states are required to check immigration laws before issuing a driver’s license.

Although people do not have to prove their citizenship to register to vote, it would be a violation of the rules for any non-citizen to attempt to do so. both state and federal law. In Wisconsin, a conviction for election fraud is a Class I felony and can result in a fine of up to $10,000, 3½ years in prison, or both.

Riley Vetterkind, a spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, told Public Investigator there is no evidence that non-citizen voting is a problem.

An investigation by the Brennan Center for Justice into the 2016 election It found that only 30 cases of suspected noncitizen voting in 12 states were referred for further investigation. These events occurred over 23.5 million votes, meaning that potential non-citizen votes accounted for 0.0001 percent of the vote.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has been aware of only four allegations of citizenship-related election fraud since 2015.

There was a case experienced by a Ukrainian woman last year. He was charged with a felony for voting as a non-citizen in Mequon’s school board elections. He said the vote was the result of a misunderstanding due to his limited knowledge of English.

“The names of individuals who are registered to vote and participate in elections in Wisconsin are completely open to public inspection, including by law enforcement,” Vetterkind said.

RELATING TO: What to know about noncitizen voting and Wisconsin’s November referendum question

Some conservative groups are lobbying for states to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tanksupports such legislation under his own name “The ongoing migration crisis.But the foundation’s own data does not support the fears of non-citizen voters.

Immigration Impact, a news website created by the advocacy organization American Immigration Council, analyzed the Heritage Foundation’s database of voter fraud cases. In the research, only 5 percent Most of the cases the Heritage Foundation has identified since the 1980s involved noncitizens. The rest all involved U.S. citizens.

Also, a The latest research from the Brennan Center It showed that many US citizens do not have readily available documents proving their citizenship, such as passports and birth certificates.

More: We asked experts how to spot fake political information. Here are 5 tips

Cultivating distrust of election integrity is destabilizing US democracy

Misleading or false claims about voter fraud create distrust in American elections and reinforce racism and xenophobia, he said. disinformation monitoring program at the non-partisan government watchdog Common Cause.

This ultimately destabilizes democracy, McCabe said.

“Something like non-citizen voting narratives are very common,” McCabe said. “People see this everywhere.”

McCabe is leading Common Cause’s efforts to flood social media feeds with factual information about the election process. Taken from the application research showing people are less likely to They believe misinformation when they are first exposed to accurate information, or the “inoculation effect.”

He said it helps combat misinformation without amplifying it.

McCabe said skepticism about the electoral process has skyrocketed since the 2020 election, and allegations about non-citizen voters tap into existing biases.

“We also see Lots of violence against election workers “They’re just trying to do their job,” McCabe told Public Investigator.

More: In the event of a loss, Republicans are preparing to blame noncitizen voters, an incredibly rare occurrence

How to avoid falling for political misinformation?

McCabe said that when investigating what is true and false online, people should pay attention to what tone they use in print, especially in headlines.

He said a flashy headline tries to grab readers’ attention “not with facts but with some kind of sensational language.”

McCabe also said users should always check the source of information.

McCabe recommends consulting reliable sources, like your state’s, to review voting claims Secretary of State websitefact checking site PolitiFactResources provided online by non-partisan National Voter Education Week project and VerifiedVoting.orgDedicated to supporting a democratic voting process.

McCabe also said it’s important to consider what someone might gain from publishing disinformation and what kinds of things they share on a regular basis.

“Normally people spread disinformation because they tend to make a profit out of it,” McCabe said.

This may include gaining more followers or political support by voicing a narrative that will create fear among their audience.

When misinformation is detected, McCabe said the post should never be interacted with to prevent it from spreading. Instead, report it to the platform on which it was published, he said.

“Ultimately, that’s what they want,” he said. “They want clicks. They want views. And you reacting angrily and commenting on it will only make the problem worse.”

Quinn Clark is a Public Inquirer reporter. Email can be sent to: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @Quinn_A_Clark.

About Public Detective

Government corruption. Institutional injustice. Consumer complaints. Medical fraud. Public Detective It is a new initiative by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and its sister newsrooms in Wisconsin. Our team wants to hear your leads, follow your leads, and uncover the truth. We’ll be looking everywhere in Wisconsin. Send your tips to [email protected] or call 414-319-9061. You can also submit tips at: jsonline.com/tips.

Related Posts