Suspicious Numbers of “Indefinitely Confined” Voters Found in Wisconsin

The Voter Integrity Project, led by data analyst Matt Braynard, has found a remarkably large number of requests in Wisconsin this year for “indefinitely confined” status.

In Wisconsin, one type of absentee ballot does not require ID — “indefinitely confined.”

Shown below are the number of absentee ballots this election and in recent years.

Indefinitely Confined voters numbers

Year of Initial Request  Number of Voters
20101216
2011881
20123298
2013626
20143112
2015972
20168989
20172547
201814178
20194890
2020169282

What are indefinitely confined voters?

These are voters who declare themselves “indefinitely confined” due to age, illness, or disability for an unspecified period.

Since these voters can acquire absentee ballots without having to show photo identification, it is an easy way to bypass Wisconsin state law requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot.

In 2019, there were 4,890 Wisconsin voters who applied and were given indefinitely confined status. This year, there were 169,282 voters who reported themselves indefinitely confined.

According to Braynard, this status is not created by the COVID-19 situation.

SOURCES