Out of the state’s more than 3 million ballots, the report said less than 0.003 percent were cast by felons, according to the Associated Press. During the 2016 election, the percentage was also less than 0.003 percent.
The report deals another blow to those who believe former President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Newsweek previously reported Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos hired Michael Gableman, a Wisconsin attorney and former state Supreme Court justice, to investigate potential fraud, which has received backlash from other political figures.
“This circus has long surpassed being a mere embarrassment for our state,” Governor Tony Evers said in a statement posted to his Twitter. “From the beginning, it has never been a serious or functioning effort, it has lacked public accountability and transparency, and it has been a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars.”
Only 24 people in Wisconsin have faced voter fraud charges, with 16 of them allegedly being convicted felons, according to the AP. Across the country’s six key battleground states, there were fewer than 475 potential voter fraud cases, which would not have impacted the election, a probe conducted by the AP found.
Under Wisconsin law, every state and federal election requires a report to look at the list of voters compared to a list of people the Department of Corrections says is under their supervision for felony convictions, the AP added.
The election commission’s report came just a week after Gableman released his own report on the unfounded claims of voter fraud in Wisconsin, Newsweek previously reported. On Tuesday, Gableman testified in front of the state’s Assembly elections committee to argue the election in the state should be decertified, the AP added.
Gableman spent three hours describing his report’s findings in front of the committee, which sparked criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum. In a tweet, Jim Steineke, Republican majority leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly, pushed back against Gableman’s claims.
“Still not legal under Wisconsin law,” he wrote. “Beyond that, it would have no practical impact b/c there is no Constitutional way to remove a sitting president other than through impeachment or incapacity. Fools errand. Focus on the future.”
According to the report, the people charged with election fraud in 2020 lived in Milwaukee, Fond du Lac, Chippewa, Jefferson, Manitowoc, Marquette, Sauk, Vernon and Washington counties.
Update 03/07/22 6 p.m. ET: This story was updated to add more information.
