Wisconsin election officials have issued a stark warning: residents who place bets on election outcomes and then cast a ballot in the same contest could face felony charges and lose their voting rights. The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) released a statement Tuesday clarifying that such activity violates state law.
WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe emphasized the legal stakes. “We want voters to understand that they cannot legally make a bet on an election and cast a ballot in that same election,” she said, noting that doing so constitutes a Class I felony. The commission warned that voters who vote after placing a wager may be subject to administrative challenges to their voter qualification, which, if successful, would bar them from future elections.
The crackdown comes amid a surge in election-related betting. According to an NBC News report, prediction market users have spent nearly $200 million on midterm elections. On Polymarket, bets on the 2024 presidential race between then-President Donald Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris topped $3.2 billion on Election Day alone.
Kalshi, a federally regulated prediction market, pushed back hard. Robert J. DeNault, Kalshi’s head of enforcement and legal counsel, posted on X that “the Wisconsin Elections Commission should retract this guidance before courts are required to force them to do so.” He argued that “election markets certified by the CFTC and available on federally regulated exchanges are legal.” Benjamin Freeman, Kalshi’s politics growth lead, called the WEC’s stance “INSANE” and accused the commission of “active voter suppression.”
Governor Tony Evers (D) has already banned all Wisconsin state executive branch employees from disclosing nonpublic information for betting purposes or placing bets themselves. The White House recently suspended a teleprompter operator over allegations he bet on Trump’s speeches, following a complaint to the CFTC.
Wolfe acknowledged the difficulty of enforcement. “We are not able to police someone placing a bet on these platforms, but it’s important for voters to understand the consequences if they bet on an election outcome,” she said. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment on the WEC’s statement.
The dispute echoes broader tensions over election integrity. In a related development, Ohio voting rights are under siege amid GOP legislation and an FBI raid that have sparked outrage. Meanwhile, Democratic fury over Trump's EAC moves has been criticized as misreading election reality. As Wisconsin tightens its rules, the clash between state election law and federally regulated prediction markets appears far from resolved.
