The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division announced Wednesday that the Wisconsin Elections Commission will no longer receive federal funding after violating the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
In a letter to the state’s election commissioners, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stated that the commission failed to comply with several HAVA requirements, including the obligation to provide voters with a process for filing complaints about potential violations.
“Quite surprisingly, we have learned that the Wisconsin Elections Commission has refused to provide any administrative complaint process or hearing regarding HAVA complaints against the Commission,” the letter reads. Until the Wisconsin Commissioners implement reforms that comply with HAVA, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission will not provide funding.
Since the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was enacted in 2002, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission has awarded Wisconsin over $77 million in federal funding. That funding is contingent upon the state’s full compliance with federal election laws.
“Election integrity and compliance with federal elections laws are essential to protect our constitutional republic,” a press release from the DOJ reads. “Wisconsin’s refusal to give complainants any recourse to report violations they may have observed or experienced while voting is a significant violation of federal law, and a betrayal of the confidence of the American people.”
The letter notified the U.S. Election Assistance Commission of Wisconsin’s failure to comply with federal election regulations and urged the Wisconsin Elections Commission to take immediate action to bring its practices into full compliance with the law.
“Courts across the land, including our highest court, have repeatedly defended measures to ensure election integrity,” Dhillon said. “We have made it our highest priority to identify jurisdictions that fail to follow our elections laws and vigorously enforce the law by all means available.”
In September 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint under Section 301 of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) against the town of Thornapple, Wisconsin, for failing to provide a voting booth accessible to voters with disabilities. Additionally, in May 2024, the DOJ filed a complaint against Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for failing to provide election materials in Spanish at the polling place, in violation of Section 302(a) of the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
