A Wisconsin lawmaker filed a lawsuit on Friday seeking to temporarily block the counting of military ballots in the state’s midterm election.
State Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls), the chair of the State Assembly’s elections committee, brought the lawsuit along with the Concerned Veterans of Waukesha County and two other individuals, according to the Washington Post.
“In this case, the temporary injunction remedy sought is to prevent any military elector absentee ballots cast by non-qualified persons casting military elector absentee ballots, if any, from being counted,” the lawsuit states.
“The Plaintiffs want to ensure that any close election result is not determined by non-qualified people voting military elector absentee ballots,” the suit added.
The lawsuit comes one day after Brandtjen, who is known to promote false claims about the 2020 election, received military ballots with fake names from Milwaukee Election Commission (MEC) Deputy Director Kimberly Zapata.
Zapata told officials she wanted to expose vulnerabilities within the election system in Wisconsin so it could be addressed. Zapata has been fired and charged with a felony and three misdemeanors.
“I believe someone was trying to point out how easy it is to get military ballots in Wisconsin. Registration for military ballots is not required, so a fictitious name and birthdate is all that is required to obtain a military ballot online,” Brandtjen said in a statement. “Feeling shocked about this situation is an understatement because it demonstrates stolen valor from those who protect this nation.”
The Wisconsin lawmaker and the other plaintiffs seek to block the counting of military ballots until they can be verified.
