Jay Stone has taken legal action to see that state and federal laws prohibiting the giving of inducements to register and vote are enforced.
Mr. Stone told The Epoch Times that he believes the evidence he has presented to the WEC in a July 18 complaint is sufficient to warrant that the state elections commission order an investigation by state and federal law enforcement.
Pizza to the Polls (PttP), an Oregon-based group operating in numerous states, is dedicated to encouraging voter participation in elections by making the experience more pleasant by giving away food and drink, according to its website.
To fund its operations, PttP relies on small individual tax-deductible contributions and it partners with corporations and other groups such as the Muslim Voter Project, several chapters of the NAACP, and When We All Vote.
PttP did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Stone told The Epoch Times he believes that is a form of electioneering.
Federal Case
In a current related case, Mr. Stone alleged before a federal judge that the WEC is allowing free food, drink, and entertainment to be given out by several nonprofits to induce people in selected precincts to register to vote and to vote early.
The section titled Expenditurs to influence voting, reads, “Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate; and Whoever solicits, accepts, or receives any such expenditure in consideration of his vote or the withholding of his vote-Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.”
“My concern is not about who has not been receiving the freebies; it’s about who has, namely the voters,” Mr. Stone told The Epoch Times. “When things of value are given to incentivize any person to register to vote, vote, and vote early, it is a clear violation of state and federal law.”
Explicit Prohibition
Wisconsin Statute Section 12.11 of 2021, titled Election Bribery, prohibits any person from giving anything of value exceeding one dollar to induce any elector to go to the polls, stay away from the polls, vote, or refrain from voting.
Free rides to the polls are not prohibited.
“The law does not explicitly permit individuals and organizations to provide items of equal value to voters and nonvoters alike. It does, however, explicitly prohibit the giving of any items valued over one dollar,” Mr. Stone said. “The WEC does not have the power to disregard, or contradict, through a non-promulgated rule, the expressed will of the Legislature.”
“WEC has not adhered to this process. Therefore, its so-called ‘rule’ on offering incentives to voters is not legal,” Mr. Stone said.
In response to a request for comment, WEC spokesman Riley Vetterkind referred The Epoch Times to Wisconsin Statute section 12.11 as cited above.