Republican mega-donors Dick and Liz Uihlein, the third-largest donors to this year’s U.S. presidential election, are seeking information about who their company’s employees will vote for in Tuesday’s vote. There is.
Screenshots obtained by the Guardian show employees at a private paper and office supply company in Wisconsin participating in a survey called Anonymous Survey to track who employees voted for on November 5th. This shows how the request was made.
In the online survey, below a photo of a blue donkey and a red elephant, it says: “We’re curious – how does Urine compare to current national polls?”
The button employees click says the survey is anonymous, but the webpage also says employees “may be asked to sign in.” “This is only to verify that you are a Uline employee and to ensure one submission per person. Your name will not be tracked and your responses will remain anonymous.”
Dick Uihlein donated nearly $80 million in the 2024 cycle to Ishin Pac, which supports Republican candidate Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, according to public records.
One employee, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, said the request felt like an invasion of privacy and angered people at the company. Another official said multiple employees privately questioned whether the survey was truly anonymous. A source close to Mr Ulin told the Guardian that there was an assumption that the Democratic Party would not answer the inquiry truthfully.
For Urine workers, there is little doubt about who their boss wants to win in this week’s election.
The billionaire Uihleins are staunch Trump supporters and opponents of abortion, and have been involved in local and national politics, including changes to state laws that make it harder for states to pass pro-choice laws and change state constitutions. It has great influence. On the Dobbs decision that overturned the state’s abortion protections.
This voter survey is especially important because Uline’s operations are headquartered in the key battleground state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin is one of three so-called “blue wall” states considered necessary for Kamala Harris to win the White House. Joe Biden won Wisconsin in the 2020 White House election, but Trump won Wisconsin in 2016, solidifying its status as a battleground state.
Asked whether requests for voting information could be seen as threatening, Liz Uihlein said in a statement to the Guardian: This survey was for fun after two years of enduring this presidential election. Results were anonymous and participation was voluntary. This is completely benign. ”
Daniel Lang, senior director of voting rights at the Election Legal Center, said he doesn’t believe the request is unconscionable.
“Employers need to be very careful about the pressure they place on their employees about whether and for whom they vote,” Lang said.
“Regardless of the intent, this clearly has the potential to cause anxiety for many employees,” she said. “Employees depend on their employers for their livelihood.”
Federal law and some state laws protect employees from voter intimidation and coercion, including by employers. Under federal law, voters who need assistance at the polls because of a disability can choose a so-called “assistant” under the Voting Rights Act. But those supporters may not be representatives of employers or unions, Lang said.
“I think this is a tacit recognition of how much power an employer can have over an employee and the undue influence that an employer can exercise,” Lang said. spoke.
In Wisconsin, it is also a crime to ask someone to show their voting results.
A spokesperson declined to answer questions from the Guardian about the findings, which were due to be submitted by October 25.
