In one of the biggest cases of voter fraud ever in Wisconsin, a Milwaukee area health insurance executive has been charged with casting multiple votes for Republican candidates — including Gov. Scott Walker in the 2012 recall election.
Robert Monroe of Shorewood was charged Friday with 13 felonies related to his voting a dozen times in five elections between 2011 and 2012, using his own name along with his son’s and his girlfriend’s son.
The charges followed a WisPolitics.com review of records from the John Doe investigation that revealed the investigation into Monroe’s voting habits.
"During 2011 and 2012, the defendant, Robert Monroe, became especially focused upon political issues and causes, including especially the recall elections," says the criminal complaint against Monroe.
According to records reviewed by WisPolitics, Monroe was considered by investigators “the most prolific multiple voter in memory.” Those records show Monroe claimed to suffer from a form of temporary amnesia and did not recall the election day events when questioned by authorities.
The charges have taken on added significance given the recent efforts by state Republicans to implement a voter ID law and other measures to address alleged voter fraud in Wisconsin. GOP leaders have claimed that illegal voting activities have tainted the state election process and helped Democratic candidates – although there have been few documented cases.
Liberal bloggers have been having a field day with the Monroe case, with Jeff Simpson of Cognitive Dissidence claiming "All they do is cheat" in a piece posted Friday.
But the conservative Wisconsin Daily Independent says the case is exactly why the state needs to implement a strong voter ID law and blames Democrats for standing in the way of reform.
“This kind of behavior will happen again until we have a photo ID,” it says. “You want to create a system that’s easy to cheat, and people will.”
Still, it’s unclear just how much illegal voting actually occurs in Wisconsin. In 2012, the Government Accountability Board told Republicans to stop making “unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud,”including claims fraudulent activities had robbed state Sen. Van Wanggaard of victory in the 2012 recall election.
“I believe continued, unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud tend to unnecessarily undermine the confidence that voters have in election officials and the results of the election,” GAB director Kevin Kennedy wrote in a letter to GOP leaders following the recall elections.
Robert Monroe of Shorewood was charged Friday with 13 felonies related to his voting a dozen times in five elections between 2011 and 2012, using his own name along with his son’s and his girlfriend’s son.
The charges followed a WisPolitics.com review of records from the John Doe investigation that revealed the investigation into Monroe’s voting habits.
"During 2011 and 2012, the defendant, Robert Monroe, became especially focused upon political issues and causes, including especially the recall elections," says the criminal complaint against Monroe.
According to records reviewed by WisPolitics, Monroe was considered by investigators “the most prolific multiple voter in memory.” Those records show Monroe claimed to suffer from a form of temporary amnesia and did not recall the election day events when questioned by authorities.
The charges have taken on added significance given the recent efforts by state Republicans to implement a voter ID law and other measures to address alleged voter fraud in Wisconsin. GOP leaders have claimed that illegal voting activities have tainted the state election process and helped Democratic candidates – although there have been few documented cases.
Liberal bloggers have been having a field day with the Monroe case, with Jeff Simpson of Cognitive Dissidence claiming "All they do is cheat" in a piece posted Friday.
But the conservative Wisconsin Daily Independent says the case is exactly why the state needs to implement a strong voter ID law and blames Democrats for standing in the way of reform.
“This kind of behavior will happen again until we have a photo ID,” it says. “You want to create a system that’s easy to cheat, and people will.”
Still, it’s unclear just how much illegal voting actually occurs in Wisconsin. In 2012, the Government Accountability Board told Republicans to stop making “unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud,”including claims fraudulent activities had robbed state Sen. Van Wanggaard of victory in the 2012 recall election.
“I believe continued, unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud tend to unnecessarily undermine the confidence that voters have in election officials and the results of the election,” GAB director Kevin Kennedy wrote in a letter to GOP leaders following the recall elections.
