Google something along the lines of “Wisconsin voting info,” and an ad for Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s re-election campaign may pop up. Until recently, it appeared to come right from the government itself.
Alec Zimmerman, the communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, says they submitted and paid for the ad. Initially, it had WI.gov in the headline and no information about the funder. This made it seem as though the state government was urging people to vote for Walker. Reid Magney, public information officer for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, said they fielded several calls from constituents, asking if they had endorsed the Republican candidate. They issued a statement to clarify that, no, they had not.
The Wisconsin State Journal questioned Walker’s campaign about the ad. Afterwards, the funding disclosure appeared and the ad’s headline changed.
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Before and after screenshots of the ad.
Zimmerman attributed the ad’s original appearance to technical error.
“The ads are running with a proper disclaimer and in line with the guidance given by the Elections Commission. A technical glitch with Google has been resolved,” he said in a statement.
Courtney Beyer, communications director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said in a statement the the ad “falls right into line with Wisconsin Republicans’ long history of trying to mislead voters,” and that Walker is “using shady tactics to trick voters.”
The Democrats, as well as the Republicans, linked to the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s website, My Vote Wisconsin, in their communications.
That’s how it should be, says Magney. “My Vote Wisconsin is voters’ best source of information about when and where to vote, what’s on the ballot, absentee voting and other voter registration information,” he said. “We want anybody and everyone to use that website because it is the most accurate source of information.”
Magney also clarified that the Elections Commission is nonpartisan and independent; he said linking to or sharing the website does not imply endorsement.
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