Racine Sun

Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling is sounding the alarm about what he views as “vulnerabilities” in the state’s election website, arguing that people can request absentee ballots under someone else’s name.

“I am disheartened by the apparent vulnerabilities in MyVote Wisconsin that are ripe for fraud, and everyone -- no matter their political leanings -- should join in requesting a thorough, statewide investigation into this significant election integrity issue,” Schmaling said in a July 27 Facebook post.

A known supporter of former President Donald Trump, Schmaling said his concerns stem from people being able to request an absentee ballot on MyVote Wisconsin with just basic information and are not required to present a photo ID.

Sheriff Christopher Schmaling | RacineCounty.com

On the MyVote website, voters who have previously requested an absentee ballot online and have documents uploaded to their account are not required to present a photo.

Election officials counter the concerns raised by critics of the system by stressing the perceived vulnerability is first and foremost a crime and not a system issue. The issue was discovered when a group of activists tried to request fraudulent ballots to prove the vulnerability.

The Wisconsin Examiner says election officials insist that requesting a ballot online has the same level of security as requesting a ballot through the mail and that those who do so illegally are criminals. With the deadline to request an absentee ballot for the upcoming Tuesday, Aug. 9, Wisconsin partisan primary being this Friday, election officials are now monitoring the situation.