Was a Milwaukee election official fired following allegations of fraudulently requesting ballots?

Kimberly Zapata, deputy director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, was fired for allegedly requesting fraudulent military ballots and sending them to Wisconsin Assembly member Janel Brandtjen, a Republican representing Menomonee Falls.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson announced Nov. 3 that he fired Zapata, who is accused of sending absentee ballots to Brandtjen under the name "Holly," with three different last names. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident and expects to file charges soon.

The motive behind Zapata's alleged actions are not yet clear. Brandtjen, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections, has held hearings bolstering false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election. Claire Woodall-Vogg, the executive director of Milwaukee's Election Commission, said she believes Zapata used the state's MyVote website to point out that "you can go onto the public system, make up a person and request the ballot."