-Caveat Lector-
MU students voted more than once, survey finds Freshman says he
did it to draw attention to 'screwed up' system
By LINDA SPICE and JESSE GARZA
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff
Last Updated: Nov. 14, 2000
A Marquette University freshman who said he was one of 174
students who told a campus newspaper they cast multiple
presidential ballots said he doesn't fear prosecution if it
highlights the holes he found in the political system. Election
2000 "I wanted to make the point that the system is screwed up
here," said the student, 18, who asked not to be named. "I hope
people can recognize the system is flawed, and if a poor college
kid with no resources can manipulate the system, a person with an
agenda and who wants to get things done - think how easily they
can manipulate the system."
The Marquette Tribune, the university's student newspaper,
surveyed 1,000 students and found 174 admitted voting more than
once, said Michael McGraw, the Tribune's metro news desk editor.
The paper conducted the survey in person and by telephone after
state Republicans on Friday alleged instances of voting
irregularities, including claims that some students at Marquette
and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee voted multiple times.
Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann said Monday
that his office is investigating reports that students at both
universities voted more than once in last Tuesday's election.
McCann said his office's "most serious focus" in its
post-election investigation thus far is on allegations of
multiple voting by students and the accusation that a Democratic
Party volunteer gave homeless people cigarettes in exchange for
their votes.
Crime is a felony "Our focus is on those areas first, because
those allegations concern crimes," McCann said. "It is a felony
to vote a second time."
McCann said an investigation by his office so far indicates that
some Marquette and UWM students voted at "chaotic" polling
places.
As word of the multiple voting spread across Marquette's campus
Monday, some students acknowledged the disorganization they found
at the polls but disagreed with their peers' actions to take
advantage of the chaos.
"I don't feel like my vote counted, because someone voted for
their candidate two times," said junior Meghan Kurtz, 21. "I
don't think it's fair. Students here are intelligent enough to
know one vote, one person."
Kevin Kennedy, executive director of the state Elections Board,
said under Wisconsin law, deliberately voting twice is punishable
by a maximum of 4 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The Marquette student interviewed Monday, who is from northern
Wisconsin, said he is concerned that authorities might try to
make an example of him but noted overall, "I'm not that concerned
about it. . . . If I do get prosecuted for a felony, it's just
going to show more people how easy it was."
He said he cast his ballot at Grand Avenue Middle School four
times. Each time, he wrote in his own name as his candidate of
choice because none of the candidates on the ballot "represented
my ideas."
It was shortly after his first vote that he thought about casting
another. He said he was asked to write on the registration card
his name and address and to provide a signature. He raised his
hand to swear he was the person on the card but said he was not
asked for identification or proof of residency.
"I got my ballot and voted," he said. "I put the ballot in.
The same thing happened multiple times. There was zero to
prevent that from happening.
"I realized the system could be so easily manipulated," he said.
"I noticed there were very evident holes and room for
corruption."
Thirteen vote 4 times Of the 174 Marquette students who said they
voted more than once, 95 said they voted both by absentee ballots
from their home state and also in Wisconsin. Forty-one said they
voted twice in Wisconsin, 25 said they voted three times in
Wisconsin and 13 said they voted four or more times in Wisconsin.
McGraw, the student editor, said the multiple voting occurred at
three polling places: the university's Alumni Memorial Union, the
Highland Park Housing Complex and Grand Avenue Middle School.
McGraw stressed that all three sites were operated by the City of
Milwaukee Election Commission.
"They said they saw the system was being run poorly, wanted to
show how easily it could be abused and how it needed to be
reformed," McGraw said.
About 50 survey respondents said they witnessed some form of
voting irregularity, McGraw said.
Both the university's College Republicans and College Democrats
denied any involvement in the multiple votes, McGraw said.
A statement from the university released Monday said: "These
allegations, if true, are frankly appalling. . . . Marquette
University will, of course, cooperate in any way we can with the
district attorney's office and other authorities investigating
these allegations.
"And we will reserve the option of proceedings through our
student conduct code in this matter, should the legal process
ultimately result in any students being convicted."
Marquette's student government also released a statement
deploring the report of voting abuses. "As the governing
organization for the student body, we are disappointed that these
events have taken place, since they detract from the outstanding
participation in the political process by the majority of
Marquette students," said Andy Stith, Marquette University
Student Government president.
Journal Sentinel staff writers David Doege, Steven Walters, Vikki
Ortiz, Nahal Toosi and Patrick Milhizer contributed to this
report.
Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Nov. 14, 2000.
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