Established Fact
The Gableman Office of Special Counsel (OSC) Second Interim Report found that the Zuckerberg-5 cities shared WisVote voter-file data with CTCL and its private partners in ways that violated Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) security policies, which do not authorize non-governmental parties to receive WisVote data outside the formal public-access process. In at least one case, a city apparently provided a real-time API connection to the WisVote and BadgerBooks systems — giving private special-interest groups live, free access that the report concluded was used “for selective, racially-targeted get-out-the-vote purposes under the contracts.” By contrast, members of the public seeking equivalent data were required to pay $12,500 for a daily snapshot of the statewide voter file through WEC’s formal data-request process — a fee CTCL and its partners bypassed entirely. The report concluded that the Zuckerberg-5 cities “ceded administrative control over the election to CTCL and its private partners, including WisVote data sharing.”
Citations
Wisconsin Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Second Interim Investigative Report (Michael Gableman, Special Counsel), p. 8: “The Cities of Milwaukee, Madison, Racine, Kenosha and Green Bay engag[ed] private companies in election administration in unprecedented ways, including tolerating unauthorized users and unauthorized uses of WisVote private voter data under Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) policies, such as sharing voter data for free that would have cost the public $12,500.” P. 50: “WEC’s WisVote security rules do not contemplate or authorize non-governmental outside parties receiving WisVote data shared by Zuckerberg 5’s election officials… CTCL and its partners did not follow this process and yet obtained WisVote data from Zuckerberg 5’s election officials.” OSC Report available at: https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/49/64989810-acbc-5ce7-bdc1-f56d37e7c923/621e4cdc386e7.pdf
OSC Second Interim Report, p. 16: “Ms. Wolfe also told the Commission that there was no API (Application Programming Interface that allows direct access) into the WisVote or BadgerBooks system. Yet cities have provided information that they do have access to statewide WisVote and BadgerBooks data. At least one city apparently provided an API to the WisVote and BadgerBooks systems, which provided real time, free information to special interest groups who used that information for selective, racially-targeted get-out-the-vote purposes under the contracts. That application may still have an active API and may remain viable, so that it might be used by the private groups in future elections.” Note: The report’s finding of “apparently provided” reflects investigative interviews, not a court adjudication.
OSC Second Interim Report, p. 51: “The public receives WisVote only as WEC updates the information and for a charge of $12,500 for a daily snapshot of statewide data.” P. 64: “including exclusive free access to WisVote data not available to the public and not for free (e.g., $12,500 for copy of statewide WisVote data).”
OSC Second Interim Report, p. 73: “The Zuckerberg 5 ceded administrative control over the election to CTCL and its private partners, including WisVote data sharing, so they could collectively facilitate increased in-person and absentee voting in the 2020 election.”