Wisconsin Ballot Layout Summary

General Overview

CALL TO ACTION: The Government Accountability Board must immediately reverse course, returning back to an unbiased and reasonable ballot layout to ensure impartiality and fairness in the November election. Citizens should call the Government Accountability Board at 608-266-8005 and demand action.

While attempting to re-configure Wisconsins ballot layout, the GAB Staff engaged in a rogue crusade to create a ballot that drives their politicized agenda.

The issues with the revised ballot layout epitomize the publics distrust of the Government Accountability Board and their inept ability to manage the elections process as a non-partisan entity.

The GAB Staff has attempted to implement a deeply flawed and confusing ballot layout that will lead to mass confusion for voters across Wisconsin.

The Government Accountability Board was created to manage fair and impartial elections. They have failed the people of Wisconsin with this blatantly partisan behavior of ballot manipulation.

In a desperate attempt to disguise their true motive, the Government Accountability Board employed a partisan liberal who received $19,000 of taxpayer money to provide a stamp of approval.

Background

The GAB is at it again, deliberately designing an unfair ballot that blatantly benefits Democrats in every partisan election in Wisconsin.

In their ill-advised attempt to revise the layout of Wisconsins ballot, the GAB Staff led by Lead Elections Specialist Diane Lowe took matters into their own hands and re-configured the layout of the ballot without notifying the Legislature or key stakeholders.

Without a public hearing or time to comment on proposed changes, the GAB Staff has been immovable in its direction to County Clerks to strictly adhere to the new ballot layout despite clear flaws in the ballot design.

Despite raising questions and concerns regarding the new ballot layout, County Clerks have been shut out by the GAB Staff and have not been allowed any discretion in correcting the ballot layout issues.

o When the Brown County Clerk sought approval for a ballot layout that has been promoted as the gold standard of ballot designs by industry groups, including the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice, Brown County Clerk Sandy Juno was chastised by the GAB Staff who refused to approve a clear and impartial re-designed ballot.

The GAB Staff has gone rogue in their poor attempt at re-designing the Wisconsin ballot, and refused to admit their strategic partisan agenda.

When concerns were raised regarding the ballot layout, the GAB Staff immediately turned responsibility to supposed ballot design expert Dana Chisnell of the Center for Civic Design (see more below).

Concerns

The revised ballot layout implemented by GAB Staff will mislead voters across Wisconsin who may mistakenly identify which candidates they can vote for.

The previous ballot layout clearly identified which candidates were seeking which office by establishing a clear differentiation between the office description and the candidates.

o Disturbingly, there is no separation between the office and the first candidate, but there is a line that separates the candidates from each other with the exception of the first candidate.

o To be clear, each office listed is in the same box as the first candidate. Other candidates on the ballot, beginning with the second candidate, are contained within their own box.

o Not surprisingly, the first candidate in each election is a Democrat.

More disturbing, down ballot offices are not clearly separated from the previous office on the ballot.

o An industry-wide standard is to shade each office to clearly identify which office each candidate is seeking shown below in an example from the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice. However, the GAB Staff decided not to shade each office, which will lead to concerns and confusion for voters from selecting a candidate for each office (See on Next Page).

!Official Ballot for Partisan Office

and Referendum November 4, 2014

Notice to voters: This ballot may be invalid unless initialed by 2 election inspectors. If cast as an absentee ballot, the ballot must bear the initials of the municipal clerk or deputy clerk.

Instructions to Voters Statewide (Cont.) Congressional If you make a mistake on your ballot Attorney General Representative in Congress or have a question, see an election Vote for 1 District _ inspector. (Absentee voters: Contact Candidate Vote for 1 your municipal clerk.) (Democratic) Candidate

Fill in only 1 oval in each contest. Candidate (Democratic)

-To vote for a name on the ballot, fill in (Republican) Candidate the oval next to the name like this . Thomas A. Nelson, Sr. (Republican)

-To vote for a name that is not on the (Libertarian) Candidate ballot, write the name on the line write-in: (Independent)

marked write-in, and fill in the oval Secretary of State write-in: next to the name like this . Vote for 1 Legislative

Statewide Candidate State Senator, District _

Governor/ (Democratic) Vote for 1

Lieutenant Governor Candidate Candidate

Vote for 1 (Republican) (Democratic) You may fill in only 1 oval for the office Candidate Candidate of Governor/Lieutenant Governor. (Constitution) (Republican)

Candidate/ Andy Craig Candidate Candidate (Libertarian) (Independent) (Democratic) write-in: write-in:

Candidate/ State Treasurer Representative to the Assembly Candidate Vote for 1 District _ (Republican) Candidate Vote for 1

Dennis Fehr/ (Democratic) Candidate No Candidate Candidate (Democratic) (Peoples Party) (Republican) Candidate

Robert Burke/ Candidate (Republican) Joseph M. Brost (Constitution) Candidate (Libertarian) Ron Hardy (Independent)

write-in:_______________________/ (Wisconsin Green Party) write-in: (Governor) Jerry Shidell Turn ballot over to continue

voting. write-in:________________________ (Libertarian) (Lieutenant Governor) write-in:

Continue voting at top of next Continue voting at top of next column. column.

Page 1 of 2-sided ballot Ballot continues on other side.

GAB-203msGOV General Election OS Ballot-OVALS 2014 General Election (Rev. 2014-07-08)

GAB Design Governor/Lt. Governor

Brown County Design Governor/Lt. Governor

Ballot Layout Expert and Partisan Liberal

Self-proclaimed ballot expert Dana Chisnell was hired by the GAB and received $19,000 from Wisconsin taxpayers to oversee the re-designing of Wisconsins ballot. Working mainly in heavy-democratic states Massachusetts and California, Ms. Chisnell is anything but non-partisan.

o The GAB spent taxpayer money to conduct a study for the re-design of the ballot without notifying the Legislature.

When investigating Ms. Chisnell, it became abundantly apparent that she holds extremely partisan political beliefs. And, Ms. Chisnell is not holding her political views closely.

o Example #1: Unabashedly denoting her political beliefs, Ms. Chisnell is a registered Democrat in her home state of Massachusetts (see below for voter registration information).

o Example #1: On her public Twitter profile, Ms. Chisnell is hugging a tree in her profile picture (code for embracing liberal tendencies).

o Example #2: On August 21st, 2014, Ms. Chisnell posted a picture of a piece of cardboard with the words: Freedom Fights for liberty & freedom of all people

GAB Design - Flawed Design

43

Re-designed Ballot:

Write In

Congressional

State

Represenative in CongressDistrict 1Vote for One

Jeff MillerRepublican

Bert OramDemocratic

Write In

Write In

Governor/Lieutenant GovernorVote for One

Jeb Bush / Frank T. BroganRepublican

Bill McBride / Tom RossinDemocratic

Attorney GeneralVote for One

Charlie CristRepublican

Buddy DyerDemocratic

Commissioner of AgricultureVote for One

Charles H. BronsonRepublican

David NelsonDemocratic

Robert Kunst / Linda MilkowitzNPA

County

County CommisionerDistrict 2Vote for One

Bill DicksonRepublican

Ron MeltonDemocratic

Yes

Nonpartisan

JudicialJustice of the Supreme Court

No

YesNo

YesNo

YesNo

YesNo

YesNo

YesNo

District Court of Appeal

Sample BallotOfficial General Election Ballot

Escambia County, FloridaNovember 5, 2002

Vote Fill in the Oval next to your choice Use only the marking device provided or a number 2 pencil If you make a mistake, ask for a new ballot To vote for a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot, fill in the oval next to the dotted line and write in the name of the candidate.

Bonnie M. JonesSupervisor of ElectionsRoom 400, County CourthouseTelephone: 559-3900

Shall Justice Harry Lee Anstead of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

Shall Justice Charles T. Wells of the Supreme Court be retained in office?

Shall Judge Robert T. Benton of the First District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

Shall Judge Margueritte H. Davis of the First District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

Shall Joseph Lewis, Jr. of the First District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

Shall Judge Ricky L. Polston of the First District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

Shall Judge William A. Van Nortwick, Jr. of the First District Court of Appeal be retained in office?

The re-designed ballot includes our recommendation for the use of fi ll-the-oval instead of complete-the-arrow response method. Not all machines can read ovals.

Brennan Center Recommendation Proper Shading of each Office

[sic] in the world. We must redefine democracy in the USA and end the corporate state.

o Example #3: On July 31, 2014, Ms. Chisnell wrote on Twitter a reference to supporting Hillary Clintons potential Presidential candidacy by stating HILL.AR.Y.

o Example #4: On August 4, 2014, Ms. Chisnell wished President Obama a Happy Birthday. While this is not incriminating on its own, she has not wished any other elected official a Happy Birthday including Republicans.

o Example #5: In February 2012, Ms. Chisnell started a KickStarter campaign to fund a project that would help ensure voter intent. However, her partisan political views quickly became apparent when she wrote: In case youve been living under a rock and have missed the news, 2012 is a big election year. We cant afford to have this election decided by the courts. We need more funding to get the guidance out to the right people sooner. (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/civicdesigning/field-guides-to-ensuring-voter-intent)

Highlighting her progressive achievements, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed Ms. Chisnell to the Ballot Simplification Committee from 2005-2009 she later received a commendation from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for her work in 2009.

Simply put, Dana Chisnell is a partisan progressive with an agenda to help elect fellow progressives to office at all costs including rigging Wisconsins ballot to help them.

Legal Overview GAB Circumvents Wisconsin Law

Wisconsin Statutes clearly states: No ballotmay be utilized in this state unless it is approved by the board. The board may revoke its approval of any ballotat any time for cause.

Furthermore, Wisconsin Statue 5.91 clearly defines the requirements for ballots. Wisconsin Statute 5.91, Section (10) requires all ballots be suitably designed for the purpose used and Section (12) states a ballot can be utilized only if it minimizes the possibility of disenfranchisement of electors as the result of failure to understand the method of operation or utilization or malfunction of the ballot

Dana Chisnell: Partisan Liberal Ballot Expert

Example #1

Example #2

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Example #4

Example #3