Oh, look at that—Wisconsin’s voter ID laws are apparently too strict for some folks who want to waltz through the ballot box without any pesky ID. While the Badger State’s ID requirements are among the stricter ones in the country, it turns out that they’ve got a loophole big enough to drive a semi-truck full of fraud right through.

Yes, in the state where every vote should count, a sneaky little “Indefinitely Confined” status lets people get an absentee ballot without having to prove who they are. It’s like an open invitation to turn the voting process into a circus act.

A recent report, “Wisconsin’s Voter ID Loophole: The Continuing Problem of Indefinitely Confined Voters,” has exposed the gaping flaws in this system. According to Will Flanders, research director at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, the potential for fraud in upcoming elections is alarming. If you thought the 2020 election was a chaotic mess, brace yourself—this loophole might just make the next one a real doozy.

The “Indefinitely Confined” status, designed for those who are supposed to be seriously unable to leave their homes due to age or disability, was like a golden ticket during the Covid pandemic. Essentially, it allowed anyone who said they were indefinitely confined to get an absentee ballot without showing ID. All it took was a little checkbox on a form—no questions asked, no proof required.

During the Covid lockdowns, the situation got even more ridiculous. With Democrat Governor Tony Evers’ orders locking down the state, election officials in Milwaukee and Dane counties decided to make things even easier by telling voters they could declare themselves indefinitely confined due to illness. This was all done in the name of “making it easier to vote,” but come on—how many potential fraudsters did this policy enable? Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell was practically handing out ballots like Halloween candy, urging voters to skip the ID requirement. That post has mysteriously vanished from Facebook, but not before it had its impact.

By December 2020, the Wisconsin Supreme Court finally ruled that clerks couldn’t just toss out the ID requirement because of Covid fears. But the court did confirm that it’s up to voters to self-declare their indefinitely confined status, and that’s a problem. All a voter has to do is tick a box online—no need to prove they’re actually confined.

In an especially galling example, former Democratic lawmakers Patty Schachtner and Shelia Stubbs claimed indefinitely confined status while campaigning and attending events. Stubbs, in particular, was seen at multiple public gatherings, completely ignoring her so-called confinement. It’s almost like she forgot she was supposed to be holed up at home. These antics were first reported by Milwaukee conservative talk show host Dan O’Donnell, and they only add fuel to the fire.

The number of voters claiming indefinite confinement skyrocketed from around 66,000 in 2016 to nearly 266,000 in 2020. The report shows that the status is still up by 116 percent since pre-Covid days. But here’s the kicker: many people on the list haven’t even voted in recent elections. According to the investigation, some 25,000 individuals on this list hadn’t voted in the most recent spring election. And of course, some cities like Madison and Peshtigo haven’t even bothered to respond to requests for information about how they’re handling the list.

The data is clear, Wisconsin’s major cities with the highest numbers of indefinitely confined voters are also the ones that received massive “Zuckbucks” election grants in 2020. Coincidence? I think not. And yet, while Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Kenosha are playing by the rules, cities like Madison and Janesville are dragging their feet.

Despite attempts by Republican lawmakers to fix this mess, including Assembly Bill 494—which would have required proof of identity and specific forms to claim indefinitely confined status—Democratic Governor Evers vetoed it. His reasoning? Apparently, it was all about making it harder for “eligible voters” to cast their ballots. But let’s be real—what it really did was keep the loophole wide open for anyone looking to game the system.

The report warns that with around 142,000 voters potentially abusing the indefinitely confined status in the 2024 election, it’s only a matter of time before doubts start to surface about the integrity of the election results. Responsible lawmakers from both sides should tackle this glaring issue head-on and clean up this mess before it’s too late. Because if this loophole isn’t addressed, we might as well just toss out the whole election process.