State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez has filed a formal complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, alleging that progressive challenger Ismael Luna falsely claimed residency in Assembly District 8 to register to vote, cast a ballot, and file candidacy documents.
The complaint, filed under Wis. Stat. § 5.05, names Luna as respondent and lists his mailing address as 5786 S. Honey Creek Drive in Milwaukee, a property outside the district that he co-owns with his partner, Ricardo Blancas. Luna registered to vote at 1423 W. Walker Street, an address within District 8, and cast his first ballot there on Primary Election Day, Aug. 11.
Ortiz-Velez, the three-term Democratic incumbent who lost the primary to Luna, asserts that the Walker Street address was not Luna’s actual residence. Property records attached to the complaint indicate Luna and Blancas purchased the Honey Creek property in August 2021 and another home at 3714 S. 35th Street in February 2025. According to the filing, Blancas voted from the Honey Creek address in the April 2026 election. Luna had no voting record from the Walker Street address in the spring elections, despite promoting a candidate on that ballot.
A neighbor across from the Walker Street house stated that Luna does not actively occupy the property, which is owned by Luna’s stepfather, Ismael Rios Beltran. The neighbor also claimed Luna used social media skills from a White House internship to stage a video of himself leaving the house after residency questions arose.
The complaint states that on Aug. 9, photos showed Luna’s vehicle at the Honey Creek address. Following a press release and media coverage on Aug. 10, Luna posted a video of himself leaving the Walker Street house. Ortiz-Velez alleges the video was staged to create the appearance of residency after the challenge became public.o media coverage by stating that he “rents and lives in the district at the address provided” and that the story was an attempt to undermine his campaign. The complaint argues that if Luna was not a resident of the district for the required period before the primary, casting a ballot from the Walker Street address constitutes election fraud under Wis. Stat. § 12.13.
The filing cites several statutes, including falsifying a Declaration of Candidacy (signed Feb. 14, 2026), making false statements on nomination papers, falsifying voter registration, and election fraud. It requests that the Wisconsin Elections Commission investigate whether Luna knowingly certified false information on official documents and whether anyone who certified his nomination papers was aware of his actual residence.
Luna, a 26-year-old case manager at a Milwaukee homeless shelter and first-time candidate, defeated Ortiz-Velez with approximately 70 percent of the vote in the Aug. 11 Democratic primary. He advanced to the November general election against Republican Angel Sanchez. Luna received endorsements from Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee, and several progressive groups.
Wisconsin law permits candidates to live outside a district under certain conditions while seeking office, but does not allow claiming a false residence for registering, voting, or filing election documents. The complaint urges the commission to address the matter with the same seriousness applied to any voter, emphasizing that election laws must apply equally to all candidates whose names appear on the ballot.
