Wisconsin

Wisconsin: Records from election probe to be made public | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

All records from the closed Republican-ordered investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin are being uploaded to a website “for all to see,” an attorney told a judge on Tuesday. The investigation was led by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who was fired in August by Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, just days after Vos won his primary over an opponent endorsed by Gableman and former President Donald Trump. But the office Gableman led still exists. American Oversight, a liberal watchdog group, has filed four open records lawsuits against Gableman, Vos and the office seeking the records created during the investigation. On Tuesday, during a hearing over a lawsuit American Oversight filed to stop the deletion of records, attorney James Bopp said all electronic and paper records from the office have been turned over to the Assembly chief clerk’s office. The files are being uploaded to a website that will soon be available “for all to see,” said Bopp, who represents the office that he said has no employees. Hundreds of pages of documents have already been made public as the result of other American Oversight lawsuits. Bopp said the data yet-to-be made public that’s being processed now includes text messages on cellphones used in the course of the investigation.

Full Article: Records from Wisconsin election probe to be made public | AP News

In Wisconsin, Election Skeptics Deploy as Poll Watchers for Midterms | Alexa Corse/Wall Street Journal

Republicans here are recruiting a fresh batch of poll watchers to monitor voting in November as part of a revamped response to allegations of election fraud that roiled the latest presidential contest. Poll watching, a normally mundane duty where volunteers sit for hours watching for any possible rule violations at voting sites, is emerging as a flashpoint in the fight over U.S. election rules after former President Donald Trump falsely claimed that widespread election fraud cost him the 2020 race. The Republican National Committee said it has launched a multimillion-dollar effort to recruit tens of thousands of poll watchers and poll workers and hire dozens of staff to monitor voting. Many Republican voters are heading into the midterms still skeptical about the results of the 2020 election, and the Republican Party is encouraging them to channel those concerns into activism by volunteering to monitor the polls. Some Republicans view the effort as a way to ensure that Mr. Trump’s fraud claims don’t prompt supporters to skip the election altogether because of doubts about the validity of the process. Democrats are raising concerns that highly partisan volunteers could try to intimidate voters or election officials. Here in Brown County, Wis., the local Republican party says it has signed up more than 100 poll watchers and is working to recruit more volunteers. Mr. Trump won Brown County in 2020 with some 53% of the vote. Wisconsin flipped from supporting Mr. Trump in 2016 to being won by Democrat Joe Biden by about 20,700 votes in 2020.

Full Article: In Wisconsin, Election Skeptics Deploy as Poll Watchers for Midterms – WSJ

Wisconsin Elections Commission withdraws guidance on fixing ballot errors following court ruling | Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Wisconsin Elections Commission on Tuesday withdrew guidance clerks have operated under for six years to fill in missing address information on absentee ballots, a move to comply with a recent court ruling declaring such practices illegal. Commissioners voted 4-1 to withdraw the guidance hours after Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Aprahamian rejected Democrats’ motion to keep his Sept. 7 ruling from taking effect before the November election. Aprahamian ruled state law does not allow election clerks to fill in missing information on witness certification envelopes that contain absentee ballots, a decision that is expected to be appealed by Democrats who argued Tuesday that such rules should not change so close to an election. The ruling is a victory for Republican lawmakers who have spent months pushing for tighter voting rules since former President Donald Trump’s 2020 loss to President Joe Biden, a contest decided by about 21,000 votes in a battleground state crucial to both parties’ pursuit of power. The decision, which comes two months before the next election, is likely heading to the state Supreme Court, which is controlled by conservative justices.

Full Article: Elections Commission withdraws guidance on fixing ballot errors

Wisconsin judge bars election clerks from fixing absentee ballot witness certificates | Joe Kelly/Courthouse News Service

A Wisconsin judge on Wednesday ruled that guidance the state elections commission gave to clerks allowing them to fix errors on an absentee ballot envelope’s witness certificate was unlawful and preliminarily gave it one week to take the guidance back. Saying that “the state has a compelling interest in preserving the integrity of the electoral process,” Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Aprahamian declared state law does not allow curing witness certificates, prohibited the Wisconsin Elections Commission from advising clerks they could do so, and gave the WEC until Sept. 14 to notify clerks its guidance on the matter is invalid and contrary to law. Though the practice has been allowed without major issue since 2016, it has been in Republicans’ crosshairs since more than 1.9 million absentee ballots were cast in the Badger State during the 2020 election, which resulted in Donald Trump’s narrow 21,000-vote loss to Joe Biden in the battleground. Wednesday’s decision is a victory in their recent concerted efforts to restrict all kinds of absentee voting protocols. The underlying lawsuit was filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court in July by the Republican Party of Waukesha County and three taxpayers, who claimed the practice of adding or altering information on witness certificates is not allowed under state law. The WEC — a six-member bipartisan board of commissioners appointed by state officials who then appoint an administrator for state Senate approval — in October 2016 issued a guidance memo saying a complete witness address on a certificate must contain a street number, street name and name of municipality. The commission gave clerks some options for corrective action if some information is missing, including adding a missing municipality or ZIP code.

Full Article: Wisconsin judge bars election clerks from fixing absentee ballot witness certificates | Courthouse News Service

Wisconsin: Judge admonishes Michael Gableman’s review of 2020 election | Lawrence Andrea/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

For many months, former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman’s taxpayer-funded review of the 2020 presidential election that has not produced any evidence of substantive voter fraud “accomplished nothing,” according to a Dane County judge. Gableman didn’t keep weekly progress reports as required by the Wisconsin State Assembly.  He conducted no witness interviews. And he gathered “no measurable data” over at least a four-month span in 2021, the judge found. “Instead, it gave its employees code names like ‘coms’ or ‘3,’ apparently for the sole purpose of emailing back and forth about news articles and drafts of speeches,” Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington wrote in an opinion released Wednesday. “It printed copies of reports that better investigators had already written,” Remington added, “although there is no evidence any person connected with (the Office of the Special Counsel) ever read these reports, let alone critically analyzed their factual and legal bases to draw his or her own principled conclusions.”

Full Article: Judge admonishes Michael Gableman’s 2020 review of Wisconsin election

Wisconsin: Robin Vos fires Michael Gableman, ending a 2020 election review that’s cost taxpayers more than $1 million and produced no evidence of fraud | Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos fired Michael Gableman on Friday, more than a year after he hired the former Supreme Court justice to probe the 2020 election and three days after Vos barely survived a primary challenge Gableman supported. Vos ended Gableman’s contract with the state that has provided a national platform and more than $100,000 in salary to Gableman over the last 14 months but has produced a review of former President Donald Trump’s 2020 loss that has promoted election conspiracy theories and revealed no evidence of significant voter fraud. The review has cost state taxpayers more than $1 million through costs for salaries and legal fees related to lawsuits filed against Gableman and Vos over ignored requests for public records. Vos did not respond to multiple requests from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for comment. He told WISN-12’s Matt Smith in an interview for UPFRONT that Gableman was sent a letter. “We did it through the process of the contract,” Vos said. “I really don’t think there’s any need to have a discussion. He did a good job last year, kind of got off the rails this year and now we’re going to end the investigation.”

Source: Vos fires Michael Gableman, ending $1 million review of 2020 election

In Wisconsin, G.O.P. Voters Demand the Impossible: Decertifying 2020 | Reid J. Epstein/The New York Times

When she started her campaign for governor of Wisconsin, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, a Republican, acknowledged that President Biden had been legitimately elected. She soon backtracked. Eventually, she said the 2020 election had been “rigged” against former President Donald J. Trump. She sued the state’s election commission. But she will still not entertain the false notion that the election can somehow be overturned, a fantasy that has taken hold among many of the state’s Republicans, egged on by one of her opponents, Tim Ramthun. And for that, she is taking grief from voters in the closing days before Tuesday’s primary. At a campaign stop here last week, one voter, Donette Erdmann, pressed Ms. Kleefisch on her endorsement from former Vice President Mike Pence, whom many of Mr. Trump’s most devoted supporters blame for not blocking the counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6, 2021. “I was wondering if you’re going to resort to a RINO agenda or an awesome agenda,” Ms. Erdmann said, using a right-wing pejorative for disloyal Republicans. Ms. Kleefisch’s startled answer — “don’t make your mind up based on what somebody else is doing,” she warned, defending her “awesome agenda” — was not enough. “I’m going to go with Tim Ramthun,” Ms. Erdmann said afterward.

Full Article: In Wisconsin Primary, G.O.P. Voters Call for Decertifying 2020 Election – The New York Times

Wisconsin: Trump tries to topple a powerful Wisconsin Republican in his futile quest to reverse his 2020 loss | Reid J. Epstein/The New York Times

After months of toying with Robin Vos, who as the speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly is the most powerful Republican in state politics, former President Donald J. Trump endorsed Mr. Vos’s long-shot primary challenger on Tuesday in a futile effort to push the state’s Republicans to decertify the results of the 2020 election. Mr. Trump backed Adam Steen, a largely unknown and underfunded far-right Republican who said he would aim to claw back the state’s 10 Electoral College votes from 2020 — a legal impossibility — and enact sweeping changes to the state’s voting laws. Mr. Steen’s far-right views are not limited to elections. He is opposed to all abortions under any circumstances and he said in an interview on Monday that he would seek to make contraception illegal in Wisconsin. “This is way deeper than a political discussion. This is a moral issue,” he said. “To me, you’re ending a life. Yes, I would definitely outlaw contraception.” In his endorsement message, Mr. Trump blamed Mr. Vos for blocking efforts to conduct a “full cyber forensic audit” of the 2020 election and said he had “refused to do anything to right the wrongs that were done.” “Speaker Vos had 17 years to prove to Wisconsin residents that he has their best interest in mind, but even in his own campaign efforts, Vos has tried to mislead his constituents, sending out mailers that feature a picture he took with me — trying to make voters believe I am a Vos supporter, which I am not,” Mr. Trump said. “I do not come close to supporting him.”

Full Article: Trump, Angry About 2020, Tries to Oust Robin Vos in Wisconsin – The New York Times

Wisconsin: Dane County elections committee calls for greater security for equipment, clerks | Chris Rickert/Wisconsin State Journal

Describing the security of election equipment as “inadequate” and threats to elections workers as a “serious problem,” a Dane County task force on Monday called for hardening the county’s election infrastructure in the wake of a 2020 presidential election that many Republicans continue to falsely claim was tainted by systemic fraud or outright stolen. A report by the nine-member Election Security Review Committee does not make specific recommendations for how much more should be spent or on what, although during a press conference held over Zoom, Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said he’d like to see a dedicated climate-controlled building, with cameras and other security, to store voting machines and other equipment. The committee also was not able to obtain specific figures from local or federal law enforcement on how many threats were made against the county’s election workers or whether any of those were investigated and led to prosecutions. But a survey of the county’s municipal clerks found that 84% of respondents said threats against election officials have increased in recent years, with 70% saying they were at least “somewhat concerned” for their safety or the safety of their staffs and 78% saying they worried about being harassed over the phone or on the job. Fifty of the county’s 62 clerks’ offices responded to the survey.

Full Article: Dane County elections committee calls for greater security for equipment, clerks | Local Government | madison.com

Wisconsin GOP blocks absentee ballot address correction rule | Todd Richmond/Associated Press

Wisconsin Republicans erased regulations Wednesday allowing local election clerks to fill in missing information on absentee ballot envelopes, the latest move in the GOP’s push to tighten voting procedures in the crucial swing state. The Wisconsin Elections Commission developed an emergency rule earlier this year that permits local clerks to fill in missing witness address information on absentee envelopes without contact the witness or the voter. The rule reflected guidance the commission issued to clerks in October 2016. The guidance was in effect during the 2020 presidential election, which saw Joe Biden narrowly defeat then-President Donald Trump. The Republican-controlled Legislature’s rules committee voted 6-4 to suspend the emergency rule. The guidance remains in place, but it’s unclear how many clerks might follow it in light of the committee vote and a court could soon erase it as well. The committee vote is part of a string of Republican efforts to impose tighter restrictions on voting around the country as Trump continues to spread the false claim that Biden stole the election. Multiple reviews and court decisions have found no evidence of fraud on a scale that would have affected the outcome but Trump and his supporters keep working to convince people the election wasn’t legitimate.

Full Article: Wisconsin GOP blocks absentee ballot address correction rule | AP News

Will Wisconsin’s Republicans Make Voting Meaningless, or Just Difficult? | Dan Kaufman/The New Yorker

In late March, Claire Woodall-Vogg, the executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, was in her office in city hall, preparing for Milwaukee’s mayoral election, when an F.B.I. agent called. The agent was investigating death threats that Woodall-Vogg had been receiving since deciding to permit the use of drop boxes during early voting for the upcoming election. Drop boxes had long been used for absentee ballots in some Wisconsin communities, but their use increased dramatically in 2020, owing to the coronavirus pandemic. After President Donald Trump’s narrow defeat in the state, the boxes became a focus of conspiracy theories claiming that the election was stolen from him. Woodall-Vogg, along with other municipal clerks and election officials, was at the center of those conspiracy theories. She played me a few of the hundreds of threats she has received since the 2020 Presidential election. “You motherfucker,” one voice mail went. “You rigged my fucking election. We’re going to try you, and we’re going to fucking convict your piece-of-shit ass, and we’re going to hang you.” Woodall-Vogg is estranged from her mother-in-law, who is a firm believer in the stolen-election conspiracy, and she no longer speaks to her husband’s aunt. “She said that I signed up for this—for death threats?” Woodall-Vogg said. “You have to wonder if people are thinking very deeply about what they’re doing. Do they realize what the alternatives are to a functioning democracy?”

Full Article: Will Wisconsin’s Republicans Make Voting Meaningless, or Just Difficult? | The New Yorker

Wisconsin’s GOP frontrunner for governorTim Michels isn’t ruling out overturning results of 2020 election | Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels isn’t ruling out supporting a legislative effort to overturn the results of the last presidential election in Wisconsin. Michels, a construction executive who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, said Tuesday he would “need to see the details” before deciding whether he would support decertifying the 2020 election, an illegal and impossible endeavor that has been promoted by Trump despite it being impracticable. “You know, I have to work with the Legislature and see what these bills look like,” Michels told a WKOW reporter at a campaign stop in Green Bay on Tuesday in response to whether he would sign a bill pulling back Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes cast for President Joe Biden in 2020. “As a businessman, I just don’t say that I’ll do this or I’ll do that. It’s always about the details.” Michels also has pledged to abolish the state’s elections commission and has not yet determined what he would want in its place to help the thousands of clerks in Wisconsin navigate election laws. Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers warned supporters Wednesday that if a Republican candidate defeats him in November, the state “will see elections change to the point where the Legislature makes the final decision and that should scare the living crap out of everybody in this room.” Evers said he believes Republicans will not stop looking into the election any time soon. “They will continue doing this until Donald Trump is six feet under,” he said at a campaign event in Madison.

Full Article: Tim Michels isn’t ruling out overturning results of 2020 election

Wisconsin elections commission rejects guidance for clerks on how to implement a court ruling outlawing absentee ballot drop boxes. | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

Wisconsin’s bipartisan elections commission couldn’t agree Tuesday on what guidance, if any, to give the state’s more than 1,800 local clerks to help them understand how to implement a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling outlawing absentee ballot drop boxes. The commission, evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, repeatedly deadlocked on what to tell clerks about what the decision meant and how to interpret it ahead of the Aug. 9 primary. Commissioners said they may consider giving guidance later. The primary will set the field for the Nov. 8 election where Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson are both on the ballot in high-stakes races. Johnson and Republican candidates for governor have called for disbanding the bipartisan elections commission and overhauling how elections are run in the state. Republican members of the commission argued that it owed it to the clerks who run elections to help them understand the court’s ruling, while Democrats said the guidance proposed went too far, would confuse clerks and only invited more lawsuits. Not taking any action means the commission is telling clerks “go out and figure it out for yourself,” said Republican commissioner Bob Spindell.

Full Article: Wisconsin elections commission rejects guidance for clerks | AP News

Wisconsin: An incompetent circus’: Michael Gableman’s 2020 election review reaches 1 year and the $1 million mark with little to show | Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A year ago, Robin Vos was unequivocal.”We give you our word that we are doing everything we possibly can to uncover what occurred in 2020,” the Assembly Speaker told a conference center full of Republicans meeting in Wisconsin Dells for their first state party convention since Donald Trump began tying make-believe voter fraud to his loss in the Badger State, contributing to losing his presidency. But since Vos announced his hire of former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to probe the 2020 election completely and Assembly Republicans’ intent to pass bills based on Gableman’s findings, the review has failed to accomplish those goals. Lawmakers did not receive any recommendations from Gableman before wrapping up their work for the year. And the review has turned up little information not previously known, and has not found evidence showing the 2020 election outcome was incorrectly called.

Full Article: Michael Gableman investigation at 1 year: $1 million, little to show

Wisconsin: A year in, legal fight over Gableman election investigation keeps growing | Shawn Johnson/Wisconsin Public Radio

More than a year after Wisconsin Republicans tapped former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to lead a wide-ranging election investigation, the number of court cases connected to the probe continues to grow with no end in sight. This week, the liberal watchdog group American Oversight filed its fourth lawsuit connected to the investigation, this one against Gableman’s Office of Special Counsel after he admitted to deleting some documents connected to the probe. Lawyers for Gableman have also filed an appeal of a judge’s ruling that found him in contempt of court in another case where American Oversight is seeking open records. “The investigation has become a morass of competing lawsuits back and forth between different parties in the state and outside the state,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor and director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “And those legal debates have sort of overtaken the substance of the investigation itself.”

Full Article: A year in, legal fight over Gableman election investigation keeps growing | Wisconsin Public Radio

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson now says he helped coordinate effort to pass false elector slates to Pence, but his new explanation drew a quick rebuke | Molly Beck and Lawrence Andrea/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

 After initially claiming to be “basically unaware” of an effort by his staff to get fake presidential elector documents to Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Thursday he coordinated with a Wisconsin attorney to pass along such information and alleged a Pennsylvania congressman brought slates of fake electors to his office — a claim that was immediately disputed. Evidence presented this week by the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol showed Johnson’s chief of staff tried to deliver the two states’ lists of fake presidential electors for former President Donald Trump to Pence on the morning of the U.S. Capitol insurrection but was rebuffed by Pence’s aide. Johnson initially told reporters this week he did not know where the documents came from and that his staff sought to forward it to Pence. But he said in a Thursday interview on WIBA-AM that he had since discovered the documents came from Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, and acknowledged he coordinated with Dane County attorney Jim Troupis and his chief of staff by text message that morning to get to Pence a document Troupis described as regarding “Wisconsin electors.” Kelly’s office immediately pushed back on Johnson’s claim, saying: “Senator Johnson’s statements about Representative Kelly are patently false.” “Mr. Kelly has not spoken to Sen. Johnson for the better part of a decade, and he has no knowledge of the claims Mr. Johnson is making related to the 2020 election.”

Full Article: Johnson now says he coordinated effort to handoff false elector slates

Wisconsin election investigator says he deleted records | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

The former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice hired to investigate President Joe Biden’s victory in the battleground state testified Thursday that he routinely deleted records, and deactivated a personal email account, even after receiving open records requests. Michael Gableman testified in a court hearing about whether the person who hired him, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, should face penalties after earlier being found in contempt for how he handled the records requests from American Oversight. Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn decided against penalizing Vos for contempt, but said she would determine later whether to penalize Vos for how he handled open records requests. She set a hearing for July 28. Bailey-Rihn said that Gableman gave testimony that conflicted at times, but it was clear that he had destroyed records “that were contrary to what fits into the scheme of things.” Vos hired Gableman a year ago under pressure from Donald Trump to investigate the former president’s loss to Biden by just under 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. The investigation has cost taxpayers about $900,000 so far. Biden’s victory has survived two recounts, multiple lawsuits, a nonpartisan audit and a review by a conservative law firm.

Full Article: Wisconsin election investigator says he deleted records | AP News

Wisconsin Election Investigator Fined $2K Daily for Contempt | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

Full Article: Wisconsin Election Investigator Fined $2K Daily for Contempt | Political News | US News

Wisconsin: Future of Election Commission remains unclear as new chair is about to be selected | Joy Powers, Kobe Brown/WUWM

The Wisconsin Election Commission has been in the spotlight since the 2020 election. Unsubstantiated claims of election fraud have pitted many Republican politicians against the commission, despite the fact the election commission was created by former Republican Governor Scott Walker to ensure that both major parties would have equal representation in the process. The commission postponed selecting its new chairperson when Republican commissioner Dean Knudson resigned late last month — citing Republican’s deep desire that he step down in light of Knudson’s assertions that widespread voter fraud didn’t occur in Wisconsin during the 2020 presidential election. Now, Wisconsin state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has appointed a new Republican member to replace Knudson — attorney Don Millis. “[Don Millis is] a former member of the commission and a former member of the body that preceded the commission, so he has a history and some expertise,” says Barry Burden, a professor of political science at UW-Madison and director of the Elections Research Center. “He was well received by former Governor Tommy Thompson, who actually appointed him initially to serve on the state board. There were even positive things said about him by Ann Jacobs, who’s the current Democratic chair of the commission.” The next chairperson of the commission will be a Republican and will certify the 2022 midterm election and 2024 presidential election. It’s likely to be either Millis or Robert Spindell, who attempted to cast Electoral College ballots for President Donald Trump during the 2020 election and has been a strong supporter of the GOP investigation into the election.

Full Article: Future of Wisconsin Election Commission remains unclear as new chair is about to be selected | WUWM 89.7 FM – Milwaukee’s NPR

Wisconsin conservatives again lose in court as they challenge election grants to municipalities funded by Mark Zuckerberg | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Conservatives are continuing their losing streak in legal challenges over nonprofit grants that helped city clerks run the 2020 election in Wisconsin. The Center of Tech and Civic Life provided more than $10 million to more than 200 Wisconsin communities to help conduct the election during the COVID-19 pandemic. The center, which is funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, directed most of the money in Wisconsin to the state’s five largest cities, where Democratic voters are concentrated. Conservatives have brought a series of legal challenges. Each time, they’ve lost. Their latest setback came Wednesday when Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke ruled there was nothing illegal about the grants. “Certainly nothing in (state law) prohibits clerks from using private grant money or working with outside consultants in the performance of their duties. … The bottom line is that the (Wisconsin Elections) Commission correctly concluded that there was no probable cause to believe any Wisconsin law has been violated,” Ehlke ruled from the bench. His decision is in line with other courts. A federal judge in Green Bay threw out one lawsuit about the grants before the 2020 election. Just after the election, the state Supreme Court declined to take another case over the grants and other issues. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., dismissed a third case over the grants in 2021 and referred the lawyer who brought the case to an ethics panel that is considering sanctioning him.

Full Article: Conservatives again lose in court as they challenge election grants

Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Dean Knudson abruptly resigns, citing ‘deep desire’ from Republicans that he not chair of the panel | Shawn Johnson/Wisconsin Public Radio

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has delayed a vote to pick a new chair after Republican Commissioner Dean Knudson abruptly announced his resignation from the six-member panel, saying it had been made clear to him “from the highest levels of the Republican Party” that they didn’t want him to lead the body. Knudson, a former Republican state lawmaker who was appointed to the WEC by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, made the announcement Wednesday, just moments before commissioners were scheduled to vote on a new chair. Knudson said he would put his conservative record up against anyone in Wisconsin, but said he’d been branded a “RINO” for his work on the commission, referencing the acronym that stands for “Republican In Name Only.” Knudson said that was partly because of the way he values personal integrity. “And to me that integrity demands acknowledging the truth, even when the truth is painful,” Knudson told commissioners. “In this case, the painful truth is that President (Donald) Trump lost the election in 2020, lost the election in Wisconsin in 2020, and the loss was not due to election fraud.”

Full Article: Elections Commissioner Dean Knudson abruptly resigns, citing ‘deep desire’ from Republicans that he not chair of the panel | Wisconsin

Wisconsin judge skeptical of election grant arguments | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

A judge on Tuesday voiced skepticism about a lawsuit challenging the legality of private grant money awarded to Madison to help run the 2020 election, calling some of the arguments “ridiculous,” a “stretch” and “close to preposterous.” The lawsuit argues that private grants given to Madison from a group funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg amounted to illegal bribery. The Wisconsin Elections Commission in December rejected that complaint, and this lawsuit is an appeal of that decision. Four nearly identical lawsuits are also pending in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Racine and Kenosha. The case in Madison was the first to hold arguments. Three Wisconsin courts have previously rejected similar lawsuits arguing that the grants were illegal. Similar lawsuits filed in other swing states have also been rejected. Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke referenced those rulings when he questioned attorney Erick Kaardal Tuesday. Kardaal said the commission got it wrong and Madison should not have been allowed to use a portion of the grant money to pay for absentee ballot drop boxes because, he said, they are illegal, based on a Waukesha County circuit court ruling issued after the election. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is currently weighing an appeal of that ruling.

Full Article: Wisconsin judge skeptical of election grant arguments | AP News

Wisconsin: Michael Gableman’s vendetta over Wisconsin’s 2020 election must end | Barry C. Burden and Trey Grayson/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Last fall, we warned about the risks of a so-called investigation into the settled 2020 election led by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman — a costly, bad-faith endeavor with no credibility or transparency. Remarkably, Gableman’s sham review and his partisan antics are still going on, with no end in sight. Just a few days ago, Gableman was campaigning at a rally with hyper-partisan actors in Wisconsin, including conspiracy theorists and candidates running on disinformation and lies. As a majority of Wisconsin voters know, the 2020 election was free, fair, and accurate —and occurred more than 18 months ago. But the bill to Wisconsin taxpayers for Gableman’s “investigation” of that election will be at least $676,000. This review is more than a waste of money. It’s dangerous. As the nearly 2,000 clerks in Wisconsin prepare for the mid-term elections, a more pernicious risk of the sham election review is emerging: that Gableman’s charade  erodes confidence in our elections and the officials who make them run smoothly. It’s time for the so-called investigation to end, before Gableman does even more long-term damage in Wisconsin.

Full Article: Michael Gableman’s vendetta over Wisconsin’s 2020 election must end

Wisconsin: I’m frankly amazed’: Another judge orders Republicans to prevent destruction of records in Gableman election review | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A second judge Wednesday ordered Wisconsin Republicans to prevent the destruction of public records as they review the 2020 election at taxpayer expense. Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn said she was compelled to issue the order but was astonished she had to do it because the review is being overseen by former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. “I’m frankly amazed that I have to say don’t destroy records that are subject to an open records request or order that to occur. I think all of us know what the law is,” Bailey-Rihn said at the end of a 30-minute hearing. She said as a former justice Gableman should know what the records law requires and has an ethical obligation to follow it. Gableman has contended he is exempt from retaining records because the lawmakers who hired him are not required to hold onto records under state law. Bailey-Rihn issued her order two weeks after Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington issued a similar order in another open records lawsuit. Those two lawsuits and a third one were brought by American Oversight, a liberal group that has been tracking the Assembly review of the presidential election. A month ago, Bailey-Rihn found Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester in contempt of court for failing to release records about the election review. She will determine later whether Vos has now met his obligations and whether he should be fined.

Full Article: Judge orders Wisconsin Republicans to retain election review records

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker extends Gableman election review after pressure from Donald Trump | Molly Beck Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is extending the taxpayer-funded contract of the former state Supreme Court justice leading a review of the 2020 election — a decision announced a day after former President Donald Trump sought to intimidate Vos by threatening a successful primary challenge if the review did not continue. In a statement Monday that did not name Vos directly, Trump suggested to his millions of supporters that the Rochester Republican will see a successful primary opponent if he does not extend former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman’s contract with the state Assembly. “Anyone calling themselves a Republican in Wisconsin should support the continued investigation in Wisconsin without interference,” Trump said. “I understand some RINOs have primary challengers in Wisconsin. I’m sure their primary opponents would get a huge bump in the polls if these RINOs interfere,” Trump said, using an acronym for “Republicans In Name Only.” On Tuesday, Vos issued a statement announcing Gableman’s office will remain open “as we guarantee the legal power of our legislative subpoenas and get through the other lawsuits that have gridlocked this investigation.”

Full Article: Vos extends Gableman election review after pressure from Donald Trump

Wisconsin judge orders Gableman’s office to stop deleting records in election investigation | Shawn Johnson/Wisconsin Public Radio

A Dane County judge has ordered former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to stop deleting records related to a Republican investigation of the 2020 election. Judge Frank Remington’s order Thursday followed a request by the liberal watchdog group American Oversight. Last month, Remington ruled Gableman must turn over documents sought by American Oversight in an open records dispute. The latest court filing from the group showed that Gableman’s Office of Special Counsel, or OSC, was deleting certain documents or text messages. American Oversight told Remington this was in violation of Wisconsin’s open records law. “Alarmingly, OSC stated that it continues to delete records it deems irrelevant to the election investigation and declared itself exempt from any requirement to retain records,” wrote American Oversight attorney Christa Westerberg.

Full Article: Judge orders Gableman’s office to stop deleting records in election investigation | Wisconsin Public Radio

Wisconsin: Michael Gableman, leader of the GOP’s review of the 2020 vote, disparages state’s election director for how she dresses | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

When Republican attorney Michael Gableman took to the airwaves Tuesday, he didn’t just attack the governor, the attorney general, two judges and five members of the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission. He also took a shot at how the woman leading the commission dresses. “Black dress, white pearls — I’ve seen the act, I’ve seen the show,” Gableman said on WTAQ-AM of Meagan Wolfe, director of the Elections Commission. When host Joe Giganti said he recently saw Wolfe wearing a gold locket rather than pearls, Gableman responded, “Oh, Hillary Clinton.” The off-script comment came as Gableman, a former state Supreme Court justice, made the case that the Elections Commission should be dissolved and voting rules overhauled. Gableman is conducting his review of the 2020 election using $676,000 in taxpayer funds provided by Republicans who control the Assembly. “I’m a professional who takes my job seriously,” Wolfe said in a written statement. “Comments directed at my appearance are a far cry from being serious, and are beneath anybody who purports to be undertaking a review of subject matter as important as election integrity.”

Full Article: Michael Gableman disparages elections director for how she dresses

Wisconsin: How election conspiracy theories turned local politics ‘toxic’ in Green Bay | Elena Schneider/Politico

Full Article: How election conspiracy theories turned local politics ‘toxic’ in one Wisconsin city – POLITICO

Wisconsin election clerks face unprecedented scrutiny despite no widespread fraud | Local Government | Alexander Shur/Wisconsin State Journal

Full Article: Wisconsin election clerks face unprecedented scrutiny despite no widespread fraud | Local Government | madison.com

Wisconsin: ‘Let’s sit down and talk about it’: Clerks prepare for public testing of voting machines | A.J. Bayatpour/wkow.com

Lori Stottler knows there’s never been so much public interest in the accuracy of the machines her office uses to count Janesville’s ballots. To be sure everything is in order ahead of the April 5 spring election, she’s conducting three days of pretesting on the city’s machines before a public testing. 27 News observed Wednesday’s session. Stottler said ongoing skepticism from some conservatives over the 2020 general election leaves her hoping more people will attend Saturday’s public test. “Just like anything in life, when it comes to politics, religion, and now, elections, let’s sit down and talk about it,” Stottler said. “Maybe I can help you understand better and you can help me understand what I need to be doing differently to make sure that I have your trust.” A series of legal challenges and recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties upheld President Joe Biden’s victory in Wisconsin. Still, skeptics have pushed unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud, including theories of foreign actors hacking voting machines.

Full Article: ‘Let’s sit down and talk about it’: Clerks prepare for public testing of voting machines | News | wkow.com