Madison – State Representative Janel Brandtjen (R- Menomonee Falls), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections, held an informational hearing Thursday morning regarding Wisconsin’s voter database that is currently maintained by an outside non-partisan entity.
Erick Kaardal, a lawyer from the Thomas More Society, cited a federal law (HAVA – Help America Vote Act) that requires states to maintain their voter databases within their own agencies, and in Wisconsin, that agency is the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC). The law does not allow WEC to delegate our database maintenance to a third party, non-profit group such as the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Mr. Kaardal pointed out that ERIC is funded by George Soros, who is an extreme left-winged billionaire.
“ERIC and the progressively aligned non-profits are back there managing the databases for 31 states, including Wisconsin, and there’s no way to restore credibility of America’s elections without getting rid of ERIC,” Kaardal said.
Chairwoman Brandtjen stated that she voted in favor of ERIC in 2015 but the service they had promised is not what is being delivered. “As a legislator, I now have learned. Do we need a legislative fix? Absolutely,” Brandtjen said.
