Wisconsin warns that election contract traders may lose their voting rights; Kalshi calls it voter suppression.

Odaily Planet Daily reports that the Wisconsin Election Commission stated that residents who purchase contracts related to an election on Kalshi or Polymarket may lose their eligibility to vote in that same election. The commission warned that knowingly voting while ineligible could constitute a Class I felony. The commission unanimously adopted a legal memorandum on predictive markets during its meeting on July 9 and issued a statewide notice on Tuesday. The restriction applies only to the corresponding election and does not automatically affect voters’ eligibility in other unrelated elections. Benjamin Freeman, head of Kalshi’s elections division, said the guidance is “clearly unconstitutional and illegal,” noting that the company has hundreds of thousands of users in Wisconsin alone. Robert DeNault, Kalshi’s head of enforcement and legal counsel, stated that election markets offered on CFTC-certified, federally regulated exchanges are lawful. A Polymarket spokesperson said the company will respond to the commission’s claims through appropriate legal channels. Both companies assert that their products are tradable financial contracts, not gambling.