Megan O’Matz
I’m a ProPublica reporter covering issues in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest.
Have a Tip for a Story?
I’m interested in tips about public corruption, corporate mismanagement or institutional failures that have harmed people in Wisconsin.
What I Cover:
I report on state and local government in Wisconsin, along with politics, voting issues, injustice, social issues and consumer affairs.
My Background:
I’ve been a reporter with ProPublica since 2021. I’ve written a lot about voting processes in Wisconsin, a swing state, as well as stories about family court, prosecutorial blunders and predatory lending.
Previously, I worked at the South Florida Sun Sentinel, where I was on the investigative team for over 15 years. My colleagues and I were finalists for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for stories about widespread fraud in federal disaster aid programs after a series of devastating hurricanes. I also shared in the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for reporting on the failures of school administrators and police officers in connection with the Parkland school shooting. Early in my career, I covered the statehouse in Pennsylvania.
In Nasty Fight Over Election Maps, Wisconsin GOP Counters Threats to Its Power
Heavily redrawn election districts in the battleground state gave Republicans firm control of the legislature — and the leeway to move aggressively against officials and judges they perceive as threats.
Bullied by Her Own Party, a Wisconsin Election Official’s GOP Roots Mean Nothing in Volatile New Climate
In the face of repeated calls to back Donald Trump's bogus claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Marge Bostelmann of the Wisconsin Elections Commission remains resolute: “I’m a Republican who stands up for the truth and not for a lie.”
Wisconsin Republicans Sowed Distrust Over Elections. Now They May Push Out the State’s Top Election Official.
The fate of Wisconsin election administrator Meagan Wolfe is a stark reminder that even though courts and voters across the country have rejected election denialism, it remains a factor in this key battleground state.
A Florida-Sized Roadblock for the League of Women Voters
After a league rally was blocked by a new rule, the chapter’s president considers what might come next in a state where Gov. Ron DeSantis is restricting public discourse.
That Cardboard Box in Your Home Is Fueling Election Denial
A previously unreported boom in profits for the shipping supply giant Uline has provided the funds for a deeply conservative Midwestern family to bankroll anti-democracy causes around the country.
What One Photographer Captured in Wisconsin’s Changing Election Climate
Sausage, speeches and anger: Political events and an unusual court case shape the mood in Wisconsin as Election Day approaches.
Election Deniers Failed to Hand Wisconsin to Trump but Have Paved the Way for Future GOP Success
The stolen election myth has helped reshape this battleground state for the upcoming midterms and the 2024 presidential race.
Republicans Turn Against the League of Women Voters
The league, long known for focusing on voter registration and other fundamentals, became more willing to speak boldly during the Trump era. Now, some on the right are portraying it as a tool of the radical left.
A Republican Tried to Introduce a Commonsense Gun Law. Then the Gun Lobby Got Involved.
After a sheriff’s deputy was murdered in a Denver suburb, Colorado state Rep. Cole Wist took action by sponsoring a red flag bill. It likely cost him his seat. ProPublica spoke to Wist about the harsh realities of gun reform.
The Hypnotherapist and Failed Politician Who Helped Fuel the Never-Ending Hunt for Election Fraud in Wisconsin
How obscure retiree Jay Stone played a crucial, if little-known, role in making Wisconsin a hotbed of conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the state’s 10 electoral votes from Donald Trump.