Waukesha WI – Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel today opened an investigation into the “Subs-for-Votes” scandal. Yesterday while wrapping up his Wisconsin tour the Romney Campaign bought $500 worth of Cousin’s subs to encourage the crowd to hit the polls and vote for Romney. Unfortunately for Romney there are a few things that you can’t do on election day in Wisconsin, and Rep. Paul Ryan who was arm-in-arm with with Romney throughout the ordeal neglected to tell the presidential candidate that the distribution of goods on election day is illegal.
Wis. Stats. Section 12.11(1m)(a) states, in pertinent part, that any person who offers, gives, lends or promises to give or lend, or endeavors to procure, anything of value, or any office or employment or any privilege or immunity to, or for, any elector, or to or for any other person, in order to induce any elector to:
(1). Go to or refrain from going to the polls;
(2). Vote or refrain from voting;
(3). Vote or refrain from voting for or against a particular person;
(4). Vote or refrain from voting for or against a particular referendum; or on account of any elector having done any of the above.
The State of Wisconsin has the authority to suggest the removal or impeachment of a president elect.
Section 12.60(2)(b), Wis. Stats., further provides that, “If a successful candidate for the legislature or U.S. congress is adjudged guilty in a criminal action of any violation of this chapter under sub. (1) (a) committed during his or her candidacy, the court shall after entering judgment certify its findings to the presiding officer of the legislative body to which the candidate was elected.”
To see whether this has an impact on the presidential election we’ll just have to wait but the video evidence suggests that it will likely play out in a Waukesha County courtroom.
In recent years, both the Obama Campaign and WI Jobs Now has run afoul of the same law, but at no point in recent memory, has the candidate, much less two ranking Republican officials standing hand-in-hand, been caught red handed breaking the law.
The decision made by the Waukesha County District Attorney will be unprecedented and could impose serious consequences on the Romney Campaign. The DA’s office will be a tense place for a while, Waukesha is typically known as a stronghold for Wisconsin Republicans. It’s likely that Democrats will have a close eye on the investigation with the assumption that evidence would be suppressed by county officials. Waukesha County Officials caused outrage last year when County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus was accused of election fraud after it was made public that she had found 14,000 votes lost on her home computer more than a day after a highly contested Wisconsin State Supreme Court election. Without the additional 14,000 votes Republicans would have lost control of the Supreme Court.
