Wisconsin lawmaker sues to prevent counting of military ballots in the state

Wisconsin state Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R) filed a lawsuit on Friday to temporarily block the counting of military ballots in the state after an election official sent her absentee ballots bearing fake names.

“In this case, the temporary injunction remedy sought is to prevent any military elector absentee ballots cast by non-qualified persons casting military elector absentee ballots, if any, from being counted,” read the lawsuit brought by Brandtjen along with two other individuals and the Concerned Veterans of Waukesha Country, where it was filed.

They added: “The Plaintiffs want to ensure that any close election result is not determined by non-qualified people voting military elector absentee ballots.”

Milwaukee’s mayor said on Thursday that Milwaukee Election Commission (MEC) Deputy Director Kimberly Zapata mailed military ballots she requested for fictitious voters to Brandtjen, who chairs the state House’s elections committee.

The intention behind the move is unclear. MEC Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg said she thought Zapata wanted to demonstrate the vulnerability of the voting system in Wisconsin.

Brandtjen, who has promoted false claims that the 2020 election was stolen through widespread fraud, received the ballots earlier this week. Zapata has since been fired and faces multiple charges.

The lawsuit uses the incident to argue that military ballots in Wisconsin should be “sequestered” prior to the election and not counted until their authenticity under state law is verified.

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