Watertown police recommend charges against former Assembly candidate for allegedly faking signatures
Charisse Daniels
WATERTOWN -- Watertown police have recommended charges against former Democratic Assembly candidate Charisse Daniels, for allegedly faking signatures on her nomination papers.
In a news release Monday, July 2, police said charges of elections fraud and forgery are being recommended against a 30-year-old Watertown woman, noting that the woman's identity will not be released until after a case review by prosecutors and a formal charging decision is made.
Police said the allegations were reported on June 5 in connection with the 37th Wisconsin Assembly race.
FOX6 News reported Daniels missed a June 7 deadline to a challenge seeking to invalidate many of her nomination signatures after 22 people said their names were forged on Daniels’ paperwork.
Daniels and her lawyer had the opportunity to argue their case before the Wisconsin Elections Commission at a meeting June 11. The commission then voted unanimously to kick Daniels off the ballot. The commission, a panel made up of Democratic and Republican members, voted 6-0 after finding she had 27 fraudulent signatures and three duplicate signatures on her nomination papers. That left her seven valid signatures short of the 200 she needed.
Incumbent Republican state Rep. John Jagler said he was alerted to the errors when he noticed the name of his longtime supporter on Daniels' papers. The supporter denied signing his name. Jagler said he ultimately got 22 affidavits from people who said their signatures were faked.
Daniels was Jagler's only challenger in the 37th Assembly District, meaning he will run unopposed on the fall ballot.