By Collin Roth

Last Thursday, Occupy Milwaukee protester Austin Lee Thompson (DOB 10/15/1986) was arrested by Milwaukee Police at M&I Bank after allegedly yelling “this is a hostile takeover!” inside the bank.

Now, after exclusive Media Trackers research, serious questions have come to light regarding Thompson and his political activity in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board reveals that Austin Lee Thompson registered and voted in the April 5, 2011 spring election. The address that Thompson claimed as his residence is 7275 N. Port Washington Rd. Glendale, Wisconsin. This address belongs to the Residence Inn, a hotel in Glendale.

When registering to vote on election day prior to the new Voter ID law as Austin Lee Thompson did, one had to have been a resident of Wisconsin for 10 days with intent to stay and provide proof of residence. According the Wisconsin GAB, acceptible proofs of residence include:

1. A current and valid Wisconsin driver license.
2. A current and valid Wisconsin identification card.
3. Any other official identification card or license issued by a Wisconsin governmental body or unit.
4. Any identification card issued by an employer in the normal course of business and bearing a photo of the card holder, but not including a business card.
5. A real estate tax bill or receipt for the current year or the year preceding the date of the election.
6. A residential lease which is effective for a period that includes election day (NOT for first-time voters registering by mail).
7. A university, college or technical institute fee card (must include photo).
8. A university, college or technical institute identification card (must include photo).
9. A gas, electric or telephone service statement (utility bill) for the period commencing not earlier than 90 days before election day.
10. Bank statement.
11. Paycheck.
12. A check or other document issued by a unit of government.

Claiming residency at a hotel in Glendale raises significant questions about what Thompson used as a proof of residence to vote on April 5, 2011.

Furthermore, two traffic incidents in May and June 2011, incidents that occurred after Thompson voted in April, raise questions about Thompson’s Wisconsin residency.

According to Wisconsin Circuit Court Access records, Thompson was cited on May 11, 2011 in Milwaukee County for speeding. The case details show Austin Lee Thompson’s given address to be 14250 Morning Mountain Way, Alpharetta, Georgia 30004.  Furthermore, Thompson was driving a vehicle with Illinois license plate X188468.

Shortly thereafter, Thompson was cited again in Racine County for failure to yield for an emergency vehicle and speeding 14 MPH over the limit. Once again, Thompson’s given address is 14250 Morning Mountain Way, Alpharetta Georgia 30004. This time, Thompson was in a vehicle with Wisconsin license plate L273747. Records show this vehicle is a 2011 Chevy Equinox.

Adding further to the questions surrounding Thompson’s Wisconsin residency and his April 2011 vote, records from the Georgia Secretary of State reveal that Austin Lee Thompson of 14250 Morning Mountain Way, Alpharetta, Georgia has an active voting status.

As was revealed on Friday, Austin Thompson was employed by the left-wing organization Wisconsin Jobs Now! during the summer recall elections. The Milwaukee Police Department’s report on the 2004 General Election in Milwaukee detailed extensively how out-of-state political activists used Wisconsin’s lax voting laws to vote without any intention of making Wisconsin their place of residence.

In sum, Austin Lee Thompson registered and voted on April 5, 2011 using a Residence Inn as his voting address. In subsequent months, Thompson was cited for traffic violations and gave officers an address in Georgia as his residence. Furthermore, Thompson’s voting status remains active in the state of Georgia. Thompson is actively registered to vote in two different states, with his Wisconsin registration tied to a hotel.

Sound fishy?