Evers pardons 30 more people, raises pardon total to 337

Associated Press//December 28, 2021//

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday that he’s pardoned 30 more people, raising his pardon total to 337 over his three years in office.

Evers has now surpassed the nearly 300 pardons that former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle issued over eight years in office. Republican Govs. Tommy Thompson and Scott McCallum issued 262 pardons before Doyle took office. Republican Gov. Scott Walker didn’t issue a single pardon during his two terms before Evers defeated him in 2018.

A pardon doesn’t erase or seal a conviction, but it does restore the right to own a gun; to vote; to be on a jury; to hold public office; and to hold various licenses. A pardon doesn’t keep someone’s criminal record from showing up on background checks, but applicants often say clemency makes them more attractive to employers.

Most of the pardons Evers issued Tuesday involved low-level drug offenses. Other offenses included fraud, fleeing an officer, theft and a home invasion.

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