Former election official convicted of absentee ballot fraud in Milwaukee

A Milwaukee jury has convicted a former election official of fraud and fraud for obtaining fake absentee ballots in the 2022 election.

Kimberly Zapata, 47, was charged in November with one felony count of misconduct in public office and three misdemeanor counts of election fraud. Her jury found her guilty on all four charges Wednesday. Associated Press reported.

Zapata could face up to five years in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced on May 2, according to the Associated Press.

In October 2022, Mr. Zapata served as Deputy Director of the Milwaukee Board of Elections. She used a work-issued laptop to obtain three military absentee ballots using her fake name and Social Security number. As part of her job, she oversaw the counting of absentee ballots in Milwaukee.

Zapata had additional ballots mailed to the home of state Rep. Janelle Blancchen, Republican, who chairs the Congressional Elections Committee and has voiced support for overturning the 2020 presidential election results.

Zapata was fired after the mayor discovered he had requested additional ballots.

Following Zapata’s ouster, Blancchen filed a lawsuit in early November 2022 seeking to halt military vote counting in the state.

Zapata’s lawyers argued during the two-day trial that she considers herself a whistleblower and never intended to harm anyone. Assistant District Attorney Matthew Westphal argued that she was not a whistleblower and that “she committed election fraud.”

Wisconsin, one of the few swing states, elected President Biden in 2020 by less than 21,000 votes. The state had been a target of former President Trump, who sought to contest the results.

It will be a key battleground state in this fall’s presidential election.