MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The deputy director of the Milwaukee County Election Commission was fired after being charged with election fraud and misconduct. Kimberly Zapata was accused of using false names to request military absentee ballots. According to the criminal complaint, Zapata then sent the blank ballots to state Representative Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls. Zapata told investigators that the goal was to show how easy it is to commit fraud. The deal between Zapata and Brandtjen was discovered October 25 — two weeks ahead of the midterm election, which has many tight contests that easily could tip one way or another and affect national and state balances of power. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson fired Zapata as soon as the criminal complaint was filed.
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Meagan Wolfe, state elections administrator, said Zapata had “undermined the trust of the public, of members of our armed forces, and of her fellow election workers. While this incident is a deeply unfortunate violation of trust, it shows that our strong legal and election systems worked as intended to root out this alleged crime.”
Zapata profile
Zapata, 44, had worked with the Milwaukee Election Commission for six years. She had been deputy director since this June. Part of her duties included supervising voter registration and absentee ballot voting.
Brandtjen profile
In the state Legislature, Brandtjen chairs the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections. She has sided with people in the Trump faction of the Republican Party to sow doubt about the 2020 election. She called for the 2020 results, whch went against Trump, to be decertified.