By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — A 38-year-old Boyceville man has been charged in Dunn County with one felony count of election fraud concerning illegal voting.
Joshua D. Hitz is scheduled for an initial appearance in Dunn County Circuit Court June 16.
The complaint was filed in Dunn County April 6.
According to the complaint, during a partisan primary election on August 14, 2018, held at the Boyceville Community Center on Charlotte Street, a person whose first name, last name and date of birth matched a person on a list of offenders still under supervision at the time of the election according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
When a statutorily-required post-election felony voter audit was conducted by the Wisconsin Elections Commission, the Commission found that Joshua D. Hitz’s name, address and signature on the supplemental poll matched the name and address of the offender who was on probation at the time of the election for a felony conviction, according to the complaint.
Hitz also had filled out and signed a voter registration application on the day of the election which gave his address and date of birth.
According to the Department of Corrections, Hitz was convicted on July 28, 2010, in St. Croix County of injury by the intoxicated use of a vehicle and was sentenced to seven and one-half years of probation. Hitz’s probation was extended one year on January 19, 2018, and his discharge date was January 28, 2019, according to the complaint.
Election fraud is a Class I felony that carries a possible penalty, upon conviction, of a fine of up to $10,000 and/or up to three and a half years in prison.
