According to a new report, more than 41,000 voter-registration records in Wisconsin cannot be reconciled with data maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) — raising renewed concerns about voter-roll maintenance in the Badger State.
Voter-roll Analysis
An analysis by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, one of the more prominent liberty-defending institutions in the country, found discrepancies between Wisconsin’s statewide voter-registration list and DOT records, including:
- 24,733 name mismatches;
- 11,174 individuals with no driver’s license record;
- 3,110 date-of-birth mismatches;
- 2,069 records with no match at all;
- 680 combined name and date-of-birth mismatches; and
- 18 records containing invalid data.
Wisconsin’s statewide voter database reportedly contains roughly 8.3 million total records. Of those, only about 3.6 million are classified as active voters eligible to cast a ballot without re-registering. The remainder are inactive records retained in the WisVote system — underscoring the importance of accurate maintenance and regular reconciliation in a closely divided state.
Wisconsin voters may request an absentee ballot online through MyVote.wi.gov using a simple name-and-date-of-birth lookup without creating a traditional login account, opening the door to vulnerabilities. Although photo ID is required to complete the absentee request, the streamlined public-facing system highlights why underlying voter-registration records must be accurate and up to date.
While these inconsistencies and issues do not automatically prove fraud, their scale warrants scrutiny. Accurate voter rolls are foundational to secure elections. When tens of thousands of records cannot be reconciled with existing state identification data, public confidence in election administration is weakened.
Responsibility for maintaining Wisconsin’s voter rolls rests with the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Under state and federal law (the unconstitutional National Voter Registration Act of 1993), election officials are required to maintain and keep voter-registration lists accurate and current — removing ineligible voters, correcting errors, and maintaining reliable records.
ERIC Is Not the Answer
Wisconsin has been a member of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) since 2016. ERIC is a multistate data-sharing consortium originally formed with assistance from outside nonprofit entities and now governed and funded by its member states. It was designed to help states identify outdated registrations, deceased voters, and potential duplicate records. Yet the persistence of more than 41,000 unreconciled discrepancies raises a legitimate question: If existing multistate tools such as ERIC are not resolving core accuracy problems, why should Wisconsin continue outsourcing list-maintenance responsibilities rather than strengthening its own direct oversight and cross-check procedures?
Several states have withdrawn from ERIC in recent years, citing concerns about effectiveness, transparency, and governance. Given the scale of Wisconsin’s unresolved discrepancies, lawmakers should, at minimum, reevaluate whether continued membership meaningfully improves voter-roll accuracy or merely creates the appearance of maintenance without measurable results.
The State’s Role and Public Trust
Voter rolls containing incorrect names, mismatched birth dates, or unverifiable identification information create vulnerabilities. Even if many discrepancies stem from clerical mistakes or outdated data, such weaknesses invite potential abuse and erode trust in the electoral process. Routine cross-checks with agencies such as the Wisconsin DOT already happen, but what are the real results? Cleaning the voter rolls to maintain accuracy should not be controversial. Maintaining accurate voter rolls is not about suppressing lawful voters; it is about ensuring that every eligible citizen’s vote is protected from dilution.
Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution leaves the administration of elections primarily to the states. A republican form of government depends upon the integrity of the ballot. If voter lists are inaccurate, that integrity is jeopardized.
In recent years, Wisconsin voters have approved multiple constitutional amendments aimed at strengthening election integrity — including prohibitions on private election funding, restrictions limiting election administration to designated officials, an explicit citizenship requirement for voting, and a constitutional voter-ID mandate. These amendments reflect sustained public concern over election administration and integrity, and underscore the importance voters place on accurate rolls and transparent oversight.
Serious Consequences
Wisconsin’s 41,000 unreconciled records should not be dismissed as insignificant. Since 2018, several statewide contests have been decided by narrow margins. The 2018 gubernatorial race was determined by roughly one percentage point. The 2020 presidential election was decided by fewer than 21,000 votes — well under one percent of ballots cast. In 2024, the presidential contest was again decided by less than one percentage point. In a state where outcomes regularly hinge on tens of thousands — or even just thousands — of votes, administrative precision is not optional.
When margins are razor thin, the integrity of the process must be beyond reproach. At minimum, the findings raise a straightforward question: Why have these discrepancies not been resolved?
Ensuring accurate voter rolls is a basic responsibility of election officials. Transparency, oversight, and regular list maintenance are essential safeguards — not partisan demands, but constitutional necessities.
