Van Hollen teams with Milwaukee County DA for voter fraud task force

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As Democrats accuse him of playing politics in court, state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen promises total fairness in his latest effort to crack down on voter fraud.

Van Hollen and Milwaukee County’s chief prosecutor announced the creation of a joint task force yesterday to investigate voting-related problems leading up to the November elections.

“We have an obligation to make certain our election system is fair and legal,” said Van Hollen.

District Attorney John Chisholm said the investigators assigned to the unit will approach their jobs impartially and will not be swayed by their bosses’ party affiliations.

Van Hollen is a Republican. Chisholm is a Democrat.

“A fundamental responsibility of law enforcement is to ensure free and unfettered access to the ballot and to make certain that everyone’s vote is properly counted,” said Chisholm.

Today (Thursday), a court hearing will be held in Madison on Van Hollen’s lawsuit against the state’s election agency.

He accuses the agency of violating a federal law, by not reviewing the personal data of those who registered to vote by mail or outside groups since the start of 2006.

The state did review applications, but only back to last month, when the computerized voter list went fully online.

Democrats say Van Hollen is trying to discourage people from voting. And because he handles cases for the Government Accountability Board, the board’s attorney says it would be an ethical violation for Van Hollen to take the other side against the agency.

Democrats say Van Hollen should withdraw from the case.

The Justice Department denies any conflict of interest.

Tags: wisconsin news, voter, fraud, vanhollen