The owner of a consulting firm for business mergers now admits that he paid for anonymous billboards in Wisconsin and Ohio that warned about the penalties for voter fraud. Stephen and Nancy Einhorn came forward Monday after the liberal group One Wisconsin Now said the Einhorn Family Foundation was the one that placed dozens of billboards in mostly low-income neighborhoods.
The signs said “Voter Fraud is a Felony.” Democrats and civil rights groups said the ads were meant to suppress turnout in next Tuesday’s elections. They also accused them of having racial overtones because of their placement in low-income and minority neighborhoods.
In a statement issued by a Chicago public relations firm, the Einhorns said they placed the billboards as a public service, and they wanted to help make sure the presidential contest is decided by “legally registered voters.”
Einhorn and his son Daniel run the merger consulting firm of Einhorn-and-Associates in Wauwatosa, and they manage venture capital funds.
One Wisconsin Now was among the groups criticizing the billboards’ owner, Clear Channel Outdoor, for allowing the anonymous signs. Clear Channel ordered them removed last week, saying they violated the company’s policy against taking anonymous political ads.
About 85 billboards were posted in the Milwaukee area, some in suburban Waukesha and Washington counties. The Einhorns also took out 30 billboards each in Cleveland and Columbus Ohio.