More than 100 billboards with slogans like “voter fraud is a felony” are popping up in Wisconsin and Ohio, a move some call an attempt to intimidate minorities from heading to the polls.
Most of the signs are in Milwaukee, primarily in Hispanic, African-American and poor neighborhoods—groups that tend to vote Democratic. The billboards show people locked up, and warn that voter fraud can result in up to 3 1/2 years behind bars and a $10,000 fine.
The sign spaces were purchased anonymously from Clear Channel.
“This is deliberate,” Democratic State Sen. Nina Turner told msnbc host Al Sharpton on Politics Nation on Monday night. “They are trying to invoke fear here.”
Both states, which are key battlegrounds this fall, have been at the forefront of legal disputes concerning early voting. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and Attorney General Mike DeWine (both GOPers) have been accused of pursuing legislation to block minority votes, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, also a Republican, tried to institute a strict voter ID law before being stymied by the courts.








