An unknown number of young Wisconsinites received misleading text messages in October about voting in the Nov. 5 election, alerting voter advocacy groups to call for investigations into the source of the texting campaign.
Nonpartisan organization Free Speech for People wrote a letter on behalf of The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin (LWVW) — a nonpartisan organization advocating for civic engagement in government — urging the U.S and Wisconsin Department of Justice to investigate the texts and “take appropriate enforcement action against the perpetrators in order to protect Wisconsin’s voters.”
The texts threaten voters to not vote in a state where they are not eligible, citing Wisconsin statutes 12.13 and 6.18 — which address election fraud by voting absentee in Wisconsin. The texts mention 3.5 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000 for violating these laws.
An analysis of several messages sent to Wisconsin voters found that telecommunications company Telnyx is servicing the phone numbers responsible for the text messages. The Australia Communications and Media Authority investigated and fined Telnyx $106,560 for failing to prevent text message scams and mobile number fraud in 2023.
The LWVW said the texts have upended their voter education and mobilization efforts for the Nov. 5 election.
LWVW Communications Manager Molly Carmichael, who herself received the text, told The Daily Cardinal the language used in the text was “jarring” and “harsh” and worried these messages would lead to voter intimidation. When she learned that her co-worker also received the message, Carmichael connected the dots that these texts were most likely targeting young voters.
“That was especially alarming, because [young voters] are people who maybe need more inspiration, or we need to empower them to go, or maybe they need more information or tools,” Carmichael said.
Young Wisconsin voters are a key demographic in state and federal elections. Wisconsin voters ages 18-24 led the nation in youth voter turnout in the 2022 midterms, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Around 292,000 young voters are registered to vote in Wisconsin ahead of the Nov. 5 election, making this demographic vital for both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump’s campaigns. About 20,600 votes made the difference in President Joe Biden’s win of the battleground state in the 2020 presidential election.
Out-of-state students can choose to vote from their permanent home address or their school address in Wisconsin. To vote in Wisconsin, a state-issued identification card and proof of residency must be shown to the poll worker. Students can get a physical voter identification card printed at the Wiscard office in Union South or print a paper version themselves.
Any out-of-state student who has resided in Wisconsin for the last 28 days and has no present intent to move is eligible to vote in Wisconsin.
Fighting misinformation with education
This is not the first time the League of Women Voters has come across malicious messaging campaigns. In March, New Hampshire voters received AI robocalls imitating Biden’s voice with false messages that voting in the state’s primaries would prevent voters from casting ballots in the November election.
Lingo Telecom, one of the companies sued by the League of Women Voters, settled to pay a $1 million fine for their alleged dissemination of the robocalls.
Voters are coming to terms with the scale of misinformation and disinformation this election cycle because of these incidents, Carmichael said. In response, she said the LWVW has created education initiatives for voters on voting by mail, accessible voting equipment and the security of elections.
“There are lots of wonderful sources out there where students can find information they need to make their plan and get to the polls,” Carmichael said. “Voters have a right to vote without intimidation or interference. The LWVW is going to stand staunchly against that because it’s unacceptable. Voters should feel empowered.”
Voters can go to myvote.wi.gov and vote.wisc.edu for resources and information about voting in Wisconsin.
