Yes. Studies have found that machine scanners are more accurate than hand counts. Local election officials also say hand-counting ballots would require more time and resources.
Category: Fact briefs
Wisconsin Watch is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.
Read more about how Wisconsin Watch checks claims for the fact briefs, and contact us at factbriefs@wisconsinwatch.org
Posted inFact briefs
Do Wisconsin teachers make about $27,000 on average?
No. Wisconsin teachers’ salaries average above $27,000, although teachers do sometimes have to pay for school supplies using their own money.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Ron Johnson refused to say whether he would accept the results of the 2022 election?
Yes. While Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson has not directly addressed whether he would reject the results of the 2022 election for senator of Wisconsin, remarks by a campaign spokesperson for Johnson left his stance unclear.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Ron Johnson say “To call what happened on Jan. 6 an ‘armed insurrection,’ I just think it’s inaccurate”?
Yes. Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said at a Milwaukee Rotary Club event on Oct. 4, “To call what happened on Jan. 6 an ‘armed insurrection,’ I just think it’s inaccurate.” Johnson cited the fact that no guns were seized by police that day.
Posted inFact briefs
Does Tim Michels oppose ‘red flag’ laws?
Yes. In a July interview, Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels said he opposes red flag laws. Also known as risk-based gun removal legislation, red flag laws allow police to petition a court to temporarily take away firearms from individuals considered a threat to themselves or others.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Mandela Barnes supported a Green New Deal for Wisconsin?
Yes. In 2021 Mandela Barnes tweeted his support for a Green New Deal: “It may look different depending on the state, but with the right approach, it would be the climate and jobs solution Wisconsin needs.”
Posted inFact briefs
Is a conservative Wisconsin law firm arguing that Biden’s student debt relief plan is unconstitutional in part because it aims to ‘narrow the racial wealth gap’?
Yes. The conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan on Oct. 4, claiming the plan would be unconstitutional.
Posted inFact briefs
Is Wisconsin House of Representatives candidate Derrick Van Orden on probation for carrying a loaded gun into an airport?
Yes. In August 2021, Wisconsin House candidate Derrick Van Orden was cited for carrying a loaded gun into an Iowa airport. Court records show he had a loaded 9 mm handgun in his carry-on bag at the security checkpoint at the Cedar Rapids airport.
Posted inFact briefs
Did Wisconsin repeal the 48-hour waiting period to purchase a handgun in 2015?
Yes. On June 24, 2015, former Gov. Scott Walker signed into law a bill repealing Wisconsin’s 48-hour waiting period for purchasing a handgun.
Posted inFact briefs
Has Gov. Tony Evers expressed that he wants to cut Wisconsin’s prison population in half?
Yes. During his 2018 campaign, Gov. Tony Evers set a goal to reduce Wisconsin’s prison population by half, although he has never provided a time frame for implementing that plan.
Posted inFact briefs
Were income taxes reduced by 15% for most taxpayers under Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers?
Yes.
Under tax cuts signed by Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, 86% of taxpayers saw a 15% decrease in income taxes. It is estimated that the 2021-23 biennial budget signed by Evers provided tax relief to 2.4 million Wisconsinites — marking one of the largest tax cuts in the state’s history.
Posted inFact briefs
Is the Republican Party of Wisconsin suing the mayor and election commission of Milwaukee for encouraging residents to vote?
No. On Sept. 26, 2022, the Republican Party of Wisconsin and the National Republican Senatorial Committee filed a lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee’s mayor and election commission for failing to release public records related to the administration of the upcoming midterm elections.