Conservative groups try to deceive voters in recall races

On Aug. 9, Wisconsinites will vote to recall or retain six Republican senators who sided with Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-middle class agenda earlier this year. That agenda included stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights, gutting education funding by nearly $800 million, cutting health care for seniors and children, and giving $200 million in tax breaks to corporations.

The right-wing group Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a subsidiary of billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, sent out absentee ballot applications to Democrats in two of the contested districts (2 and 10) instructing people to send in their ballot applications by Aug. 11. Thing is, the applications were due the Thursday before the election. That would be Aug. 4. (The absentee ballot can be turned in until the polls close on Aug. 9.)

The Wisconsin director of AFP says it was a typo and anyway, they were only sending the ballots to their members. Not true. Two of the recipients, who have filed complaints with the state’s Government Accountability Board, are Democratic activists and not members of AFP.  

The ballot apps also came with a handy return envelope addressed to the “absentee ballot processing center.” But the address is that of the Wisconsin Family Action PAC, a conservative Christian group that is mobilizing “values voters” to support Republican incumbents in the recall elections. Which leads one to wonder what WFA will do with those ballot applications from Democrats.  

Americans for Prosperity and Wisconsin Family Action are just two of the right-wing groups pouring millions into the Wisconsin recall elections. Here’s a list of all the (known) big spenders working to keep Wisconsin red, courtesy of the Center for Media and Democracy.  Keep in mind these figures are only for political ads and don’t include other money possibly being spent by these outside groups.

Americans for Prosperity: $240,000
American Federation for Children: $501,375
Club for Growth Wisconsin: $2,637,864
Citizens for a Strong America (more Koch ties): $692,890
Republican State Leadership Committee: $233,234
Wisconsin Family Action: $483,053
Wisconsin Manufacturing & Commerce: $694,623
American Patriot Recall Coalition: unknown
Jobs First Coalition: unknown
State Government Leadership Foundation: unknown

If you would like to help get out the vote in support of worker-friendly candidates in Wisconsin, please contact the UAW Region 4 office at 847-459-3888, or visit the We Are Wisconsin website.