# Is this Wisconsin militia plan for poll watching legal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 23, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358 "2014-09-23T18:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/41 "2014-09-25T15:03:19Z")
Let’s hold a separate election for all the illegal voters to cast their ballots. Nobody will be allowed to vote in that election if they are a registered voter. One requirement should be that they have no ID, or someone else’s ID. Militias can show up to intimidate legal voters who try to cast illegal votes. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/42 "2014-09-25T15:07:49Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > 5 of them. Does it affect the outcome? Of course not. > > But lets say there are 251,000 votes for A and 249,000 votes for B. And lets say all 5 of those illegal votes were cast for candidate A. Clearly, B _should_ have won. Huh? Did you mistype something here? Take away 5 votes from A and he still wins - 250,995 to 249,000. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/43 "2014-09-25T20:12:59Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Huh? Did you mistype something here? Take away 5 votes from A and he still wins - 250,995 to 249,000. Yep, I did. Sorry. Just take away all the zeros, and we’re talking about a 500 vote total. So: Lets say there are 251 votes for A and 249 votes for B. And lets say all 5 of those illegal votes were cast for candidate A. Clearly, B should have won. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/44 "2014-09-25T20:41:07Z")
Has anyone bothered to click through the OP’s links? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/45 "2014-09-25T20:41:13Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Yep, I did. Sorry. Just take away all the zeros, and we’re talking about a 500 vote total. So: > > Lets say there are 251 votes for A and 249 votes for B. And lets say all 5 of those illegal votes were cast for candidate A. Clearly, B should have won. Those illegal voters ruined that student council election! ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/46 "2014-09-25T20:58:22Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Has anyone bothered to click through the OP’s links? Maybe I am being whooshed - the OP isn’t real. That is, this supposed conspiracy to threaten Democrats in Wisconsin was the work of one person on Facebook. There isn’t any real militia targetting tax cheats or Dems with outstanding warrants. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/47 "2014-09-25T21:24:01Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Maybe I am being whooshed - the OP isn’t real. That is, this supposed conspiracy to threaten Democrats in Wisconsin was the work of one person on Facebook. There isn’t any real militia targetting tax cheats or Dems with outstanding warrants. > > Regards, > Shodan Yeah, but it had 31 likes. As good as Baskin Robbins! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/48 "2014-09-25T23:29:10Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Maybe I am being whooshed - the OP isn’t real. That is, this supposed conspiracy to threaten Democrats in Wisconsin was the work of one person on Facebook. There isn’t any real militia targetting tax cheats or Dems with outstanding warrants. > > Regards, > Shodan Silly Shodan, Facebook wouldn’t lie to us. Something couldn’t be on the internet if it wasn’t true. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/49 "2014-09-25T23:51:23Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I’m pretty sure that’s illegal. Well of course it is! Otherwise that would mean that the guys who faked the moon landings _weren’t_ the guys who killed Kennedy and masterminded the Gulf of Tonkin and 9/11. And that would just be crazy! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/50 "2014-09-29T08:46:09Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > The problem is that black people in America have legitimate beefs. Let’s fix that. This is irrelevant and a red herring. Voter intimidation is wrong, ‘legitimate beef’ or not. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/51 "2014-09-29T18:58:45Z")
> [@Zakalwe](#): > > Huh? Did you mistype something here? Take away 5 votes from A and he still wins - 250,995 to 249,000. Magelllan’s numbers are fine. You forgot to take into account the 2,000 legitimate voters for candidate A who didn’t have ID, and were disqualified in the process of nailing the 5 illegitimate votes. ---
**Author:** ![tiescore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@tiescore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiescore)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358/52 "2014-11-07T18:42:49Z")
LOL you all are just not used to Wisconsin politics. There is ALWAYS a lot of stories, chippiness and allegations in Wisconsin politics going both ways. Amongst purple states, Wisconsin is unique in that there is little middle, and a lot blue and a lot red. The most aggregious that I know for a fact happened from the year I worked for one of the campaigns are: People in support of both parties placed political signs in public medians in violation of state law. One party gave out goody bags to folks waiting in line without asking who they were voting for but in a district favored by their party. This might be construted as bribery. Two young men in a non-party but affliated group were requested by police to stop harrassing women going into a polling place favored by the opposition party. The affliated group was appalled by their actions. Police removed a opposing party supporter with a sign at a rally despite the fact he was doing nothing wrong. They claim it was to prevent a scene, but you can argue it was a freedom of speech violation. Young relatives of candidates of one party were convicted of damaging vans rented by the opposing party to assist the elderly in getting to their polling place. There was little demand for the vans. There have been tons of allegations and very little proof of anything outside of this. I’m sure there are some actions that aren’t on the up and up commited by both parties, but this is just good old timey politicing in Wisconsin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-wisconsin-militia-plan-for-poll-watching-legal/699358.md?page=2)