Jury Finds Former Milwaukee Election Official Guilty of 2022 Voter Fraud

A former Milwaukee election official accused of acquiring faux absentee ballots has been discovered responsible of misconduct in workplace and fraud by a Milwaukee County Circuit Courtroom jury.

In line with prosecutors, Kimberly Zapata was deputy director on the Milwaukee Election Fee in October 2022. She allegedly obtained three army absentee ballots utilizing faux names and Social Safety numbers. Two weeks earlier than the state’s gubernatorial and legislative elections, she despatched the ballots to Republican state Rep. Janel Brandtjen.

Ms. Zapata was initially charged in November 2022 with felony misconduct in workplace and three misdemeanor counts of election fraud.

Beneath Wisconsin legislation, lively army personnel don’t have to register earlier than voting, or present photograph identification when making use of for an absentee poll. In line with the court docket grievance, any request made by somebody within the army robotically ends in a poll being issued.

Within the March 20 verdict, the jury rejected Ms. Zapata’s protection that her actions have been an try to show vulnerabilities within the state’s election system fairly than commit a legal offense. She additionally instructed investigators that fee employees on the time have been coping with threats, harassment, and accusations of misconduct, including to her total mind-set, and determination to try to expose an actual situation within the system.

Ms. Zapata was discovered responsible of 1 felony depend of misconduct in public workplace, which might carry a most penalty of a $10,000 high quality, 42 months in jail, or each. The jury additionally discovered her responsible of three counts of constructing a false assertion to acquire or vote an absentee poll, all misdemeanors carrying potential penalties of a $1,000 high quality, six months imprisonment, or each.

Sentencing is scheduled for Could. 2.

Legal professional Says Zapata Had Good Intentions

Daniel Adams, one in all Ms. Zapata’s attorneys, claimed his shopper noticed herself as a whistleblower making an attempt to show vulnerabilities within the voting system and didn’t imply to harm anybody. He argued her actions have been pushed by private {and professional} stress and meant to focus on an precise drawback. Ms. Zapata claimed she despatched the ballots to Ms. Brandtjen as a result of she knew the ballots wouldn’t be forged and to focus on the problem of potential election fraud.

“She is probably the most vocal election fraud politician that I do know of, and I believed that perhaps this might make her cease and assume and redirect her focus away from these outrageous conspiracy theories to one thing that’s really actual,” Ms. Zapata stated.

Ms. Brandtjen has advocated for overturning President Joe Biden’s 2020 win in Wisconsin, insisting there was widespread voter fraud, amongst different claims. To this point, there have been recounts, quite a few lawsuits, an audit by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau and a evaluate by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Regulation & Liberty over the Wisconsin election outcome. In the intervening time, none of those inquiries has discovered sufficient cases of misconduct to trigger the 2020 election outcome to be modified.

Assistant District Legal professional Matthew Westphal argued that Ms. Zapata went rogue along with her actions, and that by not sharing her considerations with state election officers, reporters, or legislators, she broke the legislation.

“She just isn’t a whistleblower. She’s not exposing info. She’s committing election fraud,” he stated throughout his closing arguments. “As a society we can not tolerate individuals who break the legislation when there are a number of professional means to lift those self same considerations.”

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson stated in a March 20 assertion that on this case, the “jury introduced accountability for a critical error.”

“On the time of Zapata’s removing from the Milwaukee’s Election Fee, I stated it doesn’t matter that this may need been an effort to show a vulnerability that state legislation created,” Mr. Johnson stated.

“It doesn’t matter that Metropolis of Milwaukee ballots weren’t a part of this. Nor does it matter that there was no try and vote illegally or tamper with election outcomes. Basically, the actions have been a violation of belief.”

The Related Press contributed to this report.