Was 'Wisconsin Poll Watcher Militia' Really Just First-Rate Trolling? [View all]

[Capt. Obvious]

Earlier this month an outfit called "Wisconsin Poll Watcher Militia" claimed on its Facebook page that it planned to show up at polling places this November — while armed — and intimidate Democratic voters who had signed the petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker back in 2012. Media outlets, including TPM, picked up on the claims, and a local prosecutor reportedly began looking into the matter. But there are now claims that the whole thing was a hoax, leaving a murky picture of cautious election officials, skeptical observers, and weird Internet subcultures.

A Sept. 18 post on Politicus USA captured screenshots of a Facebook page titled "Wisconsin Poll Watcher Militia." The group said that members planned to show up at polling locations armed and ready to target Democrats in the "worst areas" of a few cities in southeastern Wisconsin who had signed Walker's recall petition or had outstanding warrants. They would follow those people from the polls and report them to the police. TPM picked up local newspaper reports on the Facebook group on Monday.

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But since the initial reports, a new Facebook page for the group has apparently popped up, as the Southern Poverty Law Center noted on Thursday.

The supposed group's latest page, titled "You've Been Trolled by Journalists with Zero Credibility" claims that the "militia" was a hoax. The page mocks people for taking them seriously, but still includes messages about helping police arrest people with outstanding warrants.

Once again, Politcus USA sucks