Wisconsin officials have been found guilty of violating the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). The agreement was filed at the same time as a lawsuit brought under UOCAVA and signed today by the federal district court in Madison, Wis.
The suit alleges that the state failed to send absentee ballots to over 200 of Wisconsin’s eligible military and overseas voters for the April 3, 2012, presidential primary election in sufficient time for those voters to receive, cast and return their ballots.
As part of the agreement, Wisconsin officials have committed to sending absentee ballots to eligible military and overseas voters in a timely manner. The agreement also provides additional time for receipt of absentee ballots to ensure eligible military and overseas voters will have sufficient time to vote.
Affected voters who have not yet received their ballots will also be offered the opportunity to receive their ballots electronically.
“As this agreement demonstrates, we will remain steadfast in our efforts to ensure that members of our armed forces, their families and overseas citizens are offered a full and meaningful opportunity to vote in our nation’s elections,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
“Servicemembers make tremendous sacrifices for our nation,” said John W. Vaudreuil, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin. “We are committed to seeing that Wisconsin meets its obligations to ensure that military voters, as well as U.S. citizens who are overseas, are given the opportunity to cast a meaningful vote.”
UOCAVA requires states to allow uniformed service voters (serving both overseas and within the United States) and their families and overseas citizens to register to vote and to vote absentee for all elections for federal office.
The agreement also commits Wisconsin to closely monitor its municipalities’ UOCAVA compliance, provide assistance to its municipalities when necessary and report back to the United States about its UOCAVA compliance during the 2012 federal election cycle.
More information about UOCAVA and other federal voting laws is available on the U.S. Attorney’s website at http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/misc/activ_uoc.php
Complaints may be reported to the Voting Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.
Defendant: Wisconsin Government Accountability Board
Criminal Charge: UOCAVA Violation
City and State: Madison, Wisconsin
Exact Date: April 3, 2012
Sentence or Outcome: Settlement agreement
Dollar Amounts: None
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Key Facts
- State: Wisconsin
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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