Citizens’ Group Accuses Milwaukee Election Chief of Violating State Laws in Aug. 9 Primary

Citizen investigator Peter Bernegger has filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) alleging Milwaukee elections director Claire-Woodall-Vogg violated numerous state laws in connection with the recent primary election.

In the complaint lodged on Aug. 24, Bernegger alleges that on primary polling day a tent was set up by the city’s elections office in an alley between city hall and another downtown office building to serve as a mail-in ballot drop-off station.

Photos taken by an election observer obtained by The Epoch Times show the tent contained a folding table, a couple of camp chairs, and an open blue canvas bag full of mail-in ballots collected by two Department of Public Works employees.

Bernegger told The Epoch Times in an Aug. 25 phone interview:

“The entire operation was illegal. The actions of the two men demonstrate that they were not properly approved by a clerk and trained as election workers. They should not have been handling other people’s ballots.

A mail-in ballot return station in Milwaukee, Wisc. on Aug. 9, 2022 (Courtesy of Peter Bernegger)

“It is a violation of Wisconsin law and a grave breach of the chain of custody.”

Bernegger said the workers verbally acknowledged to an investigator that they were DPW employees who volunteered to help with the election, and they had admitted to receiving no training.

The site was surveilled by observers from 5:20 p.m. until around 6 p.m. on Aug. 9.

Several photos show there were no secure ballot containers in or near the tent as required by law.

Bernegger’s team alleged the workers did not check the mail-in ballot return envelopes for the names of the person voting the ballot, his or her address, or the names of witnesses who are supposed to sign the envelope as required.

They noted that the workers