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Wisconsin election officials are reminding residents that placing a wager on an election could cost them their right to vote in that same contest.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) issued a public service announcement warning that voters who purchase election-related event contracts through prediction markets may be disqualified from voting in the same election under longstanding state law.
Officials said the warning is intended to educate voters ahead of upcoming elections rather than announce a new policy. Wisconsin law addresses election wagering in two statutes:
- Wis. Stat. § 6.03(2) disqualifies a person from voting “in any election in which the person has made or become interested, directly or indirectly, in any bet or wager depending upon the result of the election.”
- Wis. Stat. § 12.13(1)(a) makes it a Class I felony to knowingly vote while not qualified to do so.
The warning drew an immediate response from prediction market operator Kalshi, which called the state’s interpretation “voter suppression” in a statement to Wisconsin Public Radio.
“Kalshi has hundreds of thousands of users in Wisconsin. Implying they can’t vote because they use Kalshi is not only dishonest, it is voter suppression. If even a handful of our users in Wisconsin see this and get scared away from voting, that could easily swing an election.”
Wisconsin joins broader prediction market dispute
The warning comes as Wisconsin remains part of a broader legal and regulatory fight over prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket. Several states have challenged the platforms’ offerings, while the companies maintain their event contracts are federally regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission rather than subject to state gambling laws.
Wisconsin election officials said the PSA is intended to remind voters about existing law, not announce a new enforcement initiative.
“We want voters to understand that they cannot legally make a bet on an election and cast a ballot in that same election,” WEC Administrator Meagan Wolfe said in the announcement, according to news by Legal Sports Report.
“We are not able to police someone placing a bet on these platforms, but it’s important for voters to understand the consequences if they bet on an election outcome.”
