DELAFIELD, Wis. — The Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) is calling for a complete audit of UW–Madison’s BadgersVote Coalition and legislative oversight of its finances and operations following a new report from IRG’s Center for Investigative Oversight. The new report also raises constitutional questions regarding the program in light of a recently passed Constitutional Amendment by Wisconsin voters.
WHY IT MATTERS: Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment in April 2024 restricting private funding connected to the conduct of elections. The Coalition’s relationships with private sponsors and the Madison City Clerk raise questions about where campus voter education ends and election administration begins.
THE BIG PICTURE: UW–Madison promotes its success in turning out student voters. IRG’s report finds that the public still lacks a complete accounting of who finances that work, how the money is spent and how private sponsors interact with university personnel and election officials.
THE FINDINGS:
- Undisclosed funding arrangements. The Coalition has relied on third-party-sponsored interns, but the report finds that sponsorship terms and a complete accounting of Coalition funding have not been publicly disclosed.
- Connections to official election activity. The Coalition partners with the Madison City Clerk, and its action plan describes university support for residence-hall voter registration mailings and on-campus voting locations.
- A management change requiring answers. After the amendment’s passage, Coalition management moved from the Morgridge Center for Public Service to the Division for Teaching and Learning. The report calls for records identifying who proposed and approved the move.
The central question: Does privately supported Coalition activity fall within Wisconsin’s constitutional restriction? The report concludes that the public record is insufficient to answer that question, and that further review is warranted.
THE QUOTE: “A university’s program that combines private sponsorship, public resources, and partnerships with election officials warrants full public accounting,” said Jake Curtis, Director of the Center for Investigative Oversight. “Voters have made themselves clear: they don’t want private funding near public voting officials.”
WHAT’S NEXT: The Legislature should request a complete financial audit and ask University administrators to disclose donor and sponsorship agreements, arrangements with election officials, relevant legal assessments, and records documenting the management change. UW–Madison should also publish Coalition budgets and programming materials on an ongoing basis.