Einhorn Family Foundation Behind Voter Suppression Billboards

Submitted by Harriet Rowan on

billboard in MilwaukeeOne Wisconsin Now and theGrio have uncovered that the Milwaukee-based Einhorn Family Foundation is the "private family foundation" that funded controversial billboards in Milwaukee which warned: "VOTER FRAUD IS A FELONY! 3 1/2 years and a $10,000 fine." The billboards were denounced as voter suppression by Mike Wilder, director of the African-American Round Table, and other community groups. The billboards were put up in largely African-American and Latino communities in Milwaukee, Cleveland and Columbus by media behemoth Clear Channel, but the client remained anonymous.

The billboards were first put up around Milwaukee for the 2010 election cycle even though there was no evidence of any coordinated voter fraud in the state. They reappeared in September 2012. In between, Wisconsin passed a strict ALEC-inspired voter ID law in May 2011 that threatened to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of African Americans, the elderly and students. The law was found to violate the right to vote enshrined in the Wisconsin Constitution by two state court judges, but confusion over the status of the law and whether or not identification needs to be presented at the polls is still prevalent.

After increasing public pressure by civil rights groups, which included the online group Color of Change, Clear Channel (owned by Bain Capital) agreed to remove the billboards in mid-October, but the origin of the funding for the billboards was still unclear.

An investigation by theGrio.com and One Wisconsin Now, identified the Einhorn Family Foundation as the group that bought the ads. Stephen Einhorn, the head of the foundation and his wife Nancy have donated $49,750 to Governor Scott Walker since 2005. Stephen Einhorn is also the founder of Einhorn Associates, inc., a Milwaukee-based firm that provides investment banking services to chemical companies.

The groups also revealed that the Einhorn Family Foundation received $10,000 in 2010, right around the time the billboards went up, from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation "to support a public education project," but there are no other public details about how that money was spent. The Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation has spent almost $500 million on conservative causes since 2001. The foundation is best known for its advocacy for the privatization of public schools (so called "school choice" laws), but the head of the foundation, Michael Grebe is no stranger to politics having served as the chair of Walker's campaign committee Friends of Scott Walker and the leader of his transition team.

News

Comments

Spstolle replied on

How is this voter supression? If you are not doing anything illegal why would it hinder the vote? If we went to a voter ID system we could then change to a popular vote.

We Are Annonymous replied on

All these terms are used by Communist and Socialists trying to use Terms that mean a One Group of People against those that are standing up and pointing out the Failure in the System to do what the System was built to do. Social Justice has always been a mantra of Communists and Socialists and Fascist. All these Union and Socialist Organizations Claiming to Defend the Voters Rights and Defend the People and the Common Good is all Doublespeak. It has nothing to do with the People. It has everything to do with a Direct Power Play for more and more power. The larger the Group the more Power they control because they have more voices and speak for more people. This is NOTHING about Voter Rights EVEN REMOTELY. This is about all these Groups Garnering their OWN Power Base. Then they can curry Favors from those that are in the Over All Power Structure. That is all that is going on here. If Voter Rights and Fraud were REALLY a Major Concern and Anyone one in this mess actually cared they would ALL be concerned that the voter roles were purged of those no longer above ground walking the planet with a heart beat. However, because Chicago Politics is the name of the game and power structures are the entire name of the game and gaining the larger power structure possible this has become a sacred cow and is being tossed about by the Media.

Anonymous replied on

Seems that if the Einhorns are so concerned about virtually non existent voter fraud, they should also put up a million other billboards directed to real and serious crime issues. The tie in to Baine Capital, hense Romney, is also very interesting. When blatant partison use of money corrupts our system, we all lose big time.

Anonymous replied on

Intimidation is about preventing a group from voting because of fear. Minority communities, as a group, have a negative view of law enforcement and the justice system because they are frequently targeted by these entities. Note the preponderance of young minority youth in jail. If you scare a small number of minority individuals from voting with bogus scary billboards you may succeed in stealing an election. The game is fear.

bobart replied on

Sounds OK right? Lets just make it a fed id and because it is so important to use to exercise a persons RIGHT to vote make it a requirement to buy or transfer a gun. Would help to keep guns out of the hands of unqualified or illegal users, right?? Doesn't sound so great anymore does it Spanky?

Anonymous replied on

Is it just me, or do they hide their contact info very well? They mention that people wanting to submit a grant application should mail or email, but I'm not seeing what those addresses are. I'd like them to know that their racist billboards aren't helping anyone's community, but they apparently don't want to be contacted.

Schnitzie replied on

http://capitalmidwest.com/team.html More info on these racist creeps: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/far-from-wall-st-and-silicon-valley-a-focus-on-family-ties/

Anonymous replied on

I have seen two of the same billboards in Cincinnati, also in black neighborhoods. They were replaced by other signs as of a couple days ago. Are these related to the Milwaukee or Cleveland billboards?

Anna Cailin replied on

Einhorn watched the Dow go from 6,800 when George W. Bush left office to now, over 13,000 during the Obama Administration. Einhorn has made many millions with Obama as president. But Einhorn can make more More MORE MILLIONS under a Romney administration. Einhorn is the one who's paid for huge billboards, voter suppression billboards. Unbridled Greed seems to be an itch that all the Einhorns of this country will never be able to scratch. The Romans, over 2000 years ago, crucified a man who spent his life trying to get people to give up their greed. Instead, help the poor, aid the sick. If you have two coats, give one to someone who is cold. Greed is transparent. It acts the same, no matter the situation. It is most transparent when it comes to people who desire to suppress voters their legal right to vote in these United States.

Pages