3rd-party mailing gives Wisconsin voters some wrong info: 'We received a lot of calls on it'

MILWAUKEE -- The legal battle over whether to purge Wisconsin's voter registration rolls is causing more confusion. The spring primary is less than a week away -- and elections officials across the state say voters are getting some wrong information.

For now, no one has been removed from the state voter rolls. The purge is on hold while the case moves through the court system. But a third-party mailing is giving people the impression they are ineligible -- and that is not correct.

"We received a lot of calls on it," said Neil Albrecht, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.

Albrecht said the mailing in question did not come from any local or state office.

Neil Albrecht

"A group called the voter participation center did do a mailing," Albrecht said.

The mailing claims third-party group VPC checked public records and found the person receiving the notice may not be registered at his or her current address. Albrecht said that information is not correct.

"We can't really speak to where their data comes from. We can say it must be really outdated data," Albrecht said.

According to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, there have been some data entry errors, like a misspelling, that will prevent a valid registration from showing up. But if yours does not come up, do not panic. Call your municipal clerk for help.

If you have not registered yet, you still have time. Wisconsin voters can register on election day.

"Almost every election about one in five people register to vote -- and vote on election day," Albrecht said.

In-person absentee voting is underway now. Milwaukee residents can vote at the Zeidler Building until 6 p.m. Thursday -- and again on Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. You will need a valid photo ID.