Many young voters in Wisconsin have received texts that said they could face hefty fines and jail time for voting in a state where they are “not eligible” to do so, the Associated Press reported. The texts seemed to inaccurately imply that it is illegal for out-of-state students who study in Wisconsin to vote where they go to school.
A nonprofit, Free Speech for People, on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, sent a letter to the U.S. and Wisconsin Departments of Justice, asking them to investigate the texts. The League of Women Voters told the AP the organization is concerned that “the sender may continue its efforts to frighten eligible young voters into not voting” if the government does not intervene. The letter said that the text message was received by “thousands” of young voters.
Wisconsin is a swing state where presidential elections have historically been decided by extremely small margins. The state’s Republicans have tried to encourage out-of-state college students to vote in their home states in the past; in January, they proposed a bill that would have mandated the Universities of Wisconsin provide out-of-state students with information about voting by mail in their home district, though it did not pass.
The Wisconsin DOJ told the AP it is currently reviewing the request. The U.S. DOJ did not respond to the AP’s request for comment.
