Wisconsin

Wisconsin auditors find voting machines work properly, say election officials should adopt formal rules on drop boxes | Patrick Marley Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Legislative auditors released a report Friday that contended the state Elections Commission should adopt formal rules if it wants to continue to allow cities to have ballot drop boxes — a move that would clear the way for lawmakers to try to bar their use.  The report by the Legislative Audit Bureau was not meant to assess the outcome of the 2020 election, but it noted that none of the machines it reviewed counted votes incorrectly. One of the Republican lawmakers who oversees audits for the Legislature said the review showed the 2020 election was “largely safe and secure” but also revealed the need for changes to the state’s voting systems. The bureau released its findings and recommendations without first allowing the state Elections Commission to review its analysis and respond, which has been the bureau’s practice for years. The report is one of two that have been ordered by Republican lawmakers. The other is being conducted on behalf of Assembly Republicans by former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who claimed without evidence last year that the election was stolen.

Full Article: Wisconsin election audit finds voting machines worked properly

Wisconsin Attorney General seeks to block subpoenas Gableman issued to state elections officials | Molly Beck and Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Attorney General Josh Kaul is seeking to block subpoenas former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman issued to state elections officials as part of Assembly Republicans’ review of the 2020 presidential election. Kaul is asking a Dane County judge to declare that the subpoenas are unenforceable under the state and U.S. constitutions and Wisconsin state law. He also…

Wisconsin GOP review of 2020 election beset by blunders from former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman | By Elise Viebeck/The Washington Post

Full Article: Wisconsin GOP review of 2020 election beset by blunders from former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman – The Washington Post

Wisconsin: Head of GOP election inquiry compares Milwaukee newspaper to Nazi propagandist | Lucas Robinson/Wisconsin State Journal

Wisconsin: Michael Gableman, the GOP attorney reviewing 2020 election, is backing off on the subpoenas to cities days after issuing them | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In a dramatic turnaround, an attorney reviewing the 2020 election for Assembly Republicans on Thursday canceled interviews with mayors and city clerks and backed off on subpoenas he issued to them days ago. Former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman over the last week demanded the officials give him every election record they have and sit for interviews with him this month. The request comprised hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of pages of records. On Thursday, Gableman reversed course and said the officials for now do not need to come in for interviews and could simply provide him with copies of records they have already made available to others under the state’s open records law. Gableman may later ask for additional records, according to his aide,  Zakory Niemierowicz. Interviews with mayors and city clerks could be scheduled later if needed, according to Michael Haas, the city attorney for Madison. “I think they did not appreciate the volume of documents that were being requested,” Haas said.

Full Article: Michael Gableman cancels interviews with Wisconsin election officials

Wisconsin Republican heading review of 2020 election says he does not understand how elections work | Patrick Marley Natalie Eilbert/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The attorney leading a partisan review of Wisconsin’s 2020 election acknowledged this week that he doesn’t understand how elections are supposed to be run. The admission by former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman comes as he subpoenas mayors and election officials. His comment raises fresh questions about how long Gableman’s taxpayer-financed review will take. He called an Oct. 31 deadline set for him by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester unrealistic. “Most people, myself included, do not have a comprehensive understanding or even any understanding of how elections work,” Gableman said in an interview late Tuesday before addressing the Green Bay City Council about his plans.  Gableman’s acknowledgment that he does not know how elections work comes 10 months after he told a crowd of supporters of former President Donald Trump without evidence that elected officials had allowed bureaucrats to “steal our vote.” Recounts in the state’s two most populous counties and court decisions determined Joe Biden won by more than 20,000 votes, or 0.6 percentage points. Vos this summer hired Gableman and gave him a $676,000 budget to review the election. In the interview, Gableman said he planned to write a report that started by comparing what happened in 2020 with what should have happened. “Section one: What should have occurred during the election? How do these things work? Most people don’t know about that,” he said. “Election laws are unlike, say, laws about don’t kill me — they’re not intuitive. No one can call elections laws common sense. Once you understand them, it may be common sense but it’s not intuitive. And so most people, myself included, do not have a comprehensive understanding or even any understanding of how elections work.”

Full Article: Republican reviewing 2020 vote says he doesn’t know how elections work

Wisconsin: Michael Gableman issues subpoenas for election records | Molly Beck Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The attorney overseeing Assembly Republicans’ review of the 2020 election served subpoenas Friday demanding records and interviews with officials from the state and at five cities about private funds used to help run the election. The subpoenas — the first to be issued by state lawmakers in decades — are the most significant step yet in former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman’s probe into the November contest that elected President Joe Biden. Recounts and court rulings have repeatedly found Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin by 0.6 percentage points.  Gableman is seeking to take testimony at a Brookfield office on Oct. 15 with Meagan Wolfe, the director of the state Elections Commission, and officials in Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Racine and Kenosha. With his subpoenas, Gableman is seeking information about private grants to help conduct elections that have long frustrated Republicans. So far he has not sought ballots or voting machines — an idea that has raised far more serious concerns for clerks because of their legal duty to maintain custody of them. “We are still analyzing it and do not have any comment at this time,” Wolfe said in a statement. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester this summer hired Gableman as Republicans in other states pursued similar partisan reviews. Gableman, who contended last year without evidence that bureaucrats stole the election, has a taxpayer-funded budget of about $680,000.

Full Article: Michael Gableman issues subpoenas for Wisconsin election records

Wisconsin Governor says election officials should be ‘lawyered up’ as partisan review of 2020 ramps up | Patrick Marley Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday that municipal and county clerks should get “lawyered up” as the attorney overseeing the effort sought to meet with Milwaukee County’s clerk during a partisan review of the 2020 election.  “All’s I can say is if I were a clerk I’d be lawyered up,” Evers told reporters at the World Dairy Expo in Madison. “I hate to see them in this position when they’re being told they have to prove this was a good election. Everybody knows it was a good election.” Evers made his comments as Assembly Republicans seek to comb through how the 2020 election was conducted. Recounts and court rulings have repeatedly found Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in Wisconsin by 0.6 percentage points. Former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman is overseeing the review at a cost of about $680,000 to taxpayers. Gableman last year told a pro-Trump crowd without evidence that the election had been stolen. Gableman last week asked Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson to meet with him, in part because Christenson has criticized Gableman’s review, according to records released this week.

Source: Wisconsin clerks need lawyers during 2020 election review, Evers says

Wisconsin: Arizona review eyed by Republicans as a guide confirms Biden win | Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Arizona election review some Wisconsin Republicans eyed as a guide to probe President Joe Biden’s win in the Badger State has confirmed the president’s victory, according to The Arizona Republic.  Draft reports by The Cyber Ninjas, a group hired by the Arizona state Senate to recount votes and review the 2020 presidential election result in the state’s largest county, show former President Donald Trump lost by a wider margin than Maricopa County’s official election results. The Cyber Ninjas and their subcontractors were paid millions by nonprofits set up by prominent figures in the “Stop the Steal” movement and allies of Trump, but Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan had said that would not influence their work. According to The Arizona Republic, the draft reports minimize the ballot counts and election results and instead focus on issues that raise questions about the election process and voter integrity. Wisconsin taxpayers are paying former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman $680,000 to review the state’s 2020 election using an office created by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.

Full Article: Arizona review eyed by Wisconsin Republicans as a guide confirms Biden win

Wisconsin Republican State Senator Kathy Bernier uses position to combat election misinformation | Riley Vetterkind/Wisconsin State Journal

Full Article: Republican Sen. Kathy Bernier uses position to combat election misinformation | Local Government | madison.com

Wisconsin: Election probe email raises security concerns | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

An email signed by the leader of a Republican-ordered investigation into the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin sent to county clerks on Monday raised security concerns about its authenticity and what measures would be taken to protect sensitive information requested. The message signed by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who is leading the probe, asked clerks to retain all records related to the election and notify him if any had been destroyed. It comes after Gableman initially asked the Wisconsin Election Commission for the data. But elections are run locally and all of the ballots, voting machines and other data are maintained by county and municipal officials. The email, which was signed by Gableman but came from a gmail.com address from someone named John Delta, raised security concerns in the state’s two largest counties. “I cannot confirm the authenticity of its origin,” wrote Dane County senior systems administrator Brian Wimann to County Clerk Scott McDonell. “I would strongly recommend against replying to it with any information. If these actions are in an official capacity, I would expect it to come from an email account with an official Wisconsin.gov email address.” Wimann also said that the county had received no verification of any operational security practices from the special counsel. “I would not recommend any disclosure of sensitive information until official channels of communication have been established and verified,” Wimann wrote to McDonell.

Full Article: Election probe email raises security concerns in Wisconsin

Wisconsin: ‘It’s a waste of time’: A pair of Republicans take aim at partisan election reviews | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Two Republicans ripped into GOP efforts to review Wisconsin’s presidential election Wednesday, calling it a waste of money that would needlessly damage the public’s views of a properly run election. “We need leaders who are focused on governing, not pushing unfounded lies about a settled election nine months after the fact. These types of election reviews aren’t just wasting time and costing taxpayers money. They are actively threatening the health of our democracy,” said Christine Todd Whitman, a former New Jersey governor who served as the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush. The pushback comes a week after Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said “there’s nothing obviously skewed” about Joe Biden’s victory in Wisconsin and argued officials should not focus on analyzing voting machines. Meanwhile, Republican election clerks — including one who recently reviewed results in her county — this week said they’re confident in how the election was conducted. Despite those sentiments, Assembly Republicans have ramped up their review of the election and have discussed seizing ballots and voting machines from municipal clerks. “It’s a waste of time, a waste of energy and a waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Trey Grayson, Kentucky’s former secretary of state. “And unfortunately these actions make our elections less secure and ultimately make our country worse off.”  “I still consider myself a Republican,” he added. “I worry about the future of election security and the future of the Republican Party.”

Full Article: Pair of Republicans take aim at partisan election reviews in Wisconsin

Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Brown County clerks refuse to turn over ballots, voting machines to GOP lawmaker, but issue could escalate | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The top election officials in Milwaukee and Brown counties refused Friday to turn over ballots, voting machines and other material to a Republican state lawmaker because subpoenas she issued last month have been deemed invalid by nonpartisan legislative attorneys. “Milwaukee County’s elections are transparent and fair. We have proven this fact on numerous occasions,” said a statement from George Christenson, a Democrat serving in his second term as Milwaukee County clerk. Hours after Christenson issued his statement, an attorney for Brown County Clerk Patrick Moynihan released a letter saying he was taking the same stance. Moynihan is a Republican who was elected to his first term less than a year ago. While officials from the two counties said they would not comply with Rep. Janel Brandtjen’s subpoenas, they could soon face new demands for documents — ones with far more legitimacy. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester last week said he will sign subpoenas as part of an investigation of the 2020 election if the attorney overseeing the probe believes they are necessary. Subpoenas signed by Vos could lead to a legal standoff. Some Democrats and election officials have said clerks should not turn over their material as part of an investigation into an election that multiple courts have found to be valid. Further, the U.S. Department of Justice has warned officials they could violate federal laws if they don’t maintain custody of their election records.

Full Article: Milwaukee, Brown counties refuse to turn over ballots to GOP lawmaker

Wisconsin: Milwaukee County prepared to reject election subpoena | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

Milwaukee County’s chief elections clerk indicated Thursday that he was not going to comply with a subpoena issued by a Republican lawmaker requiring him to turn over ballots and voting machines to a GOP-controlled legislative committee next week. State Rep. Janel Brandtjen, chairwoman of the Assembly Elections Committee, issued subpoenas to election clerks in Milwaukee and Brown counties on Aug. 6 ordering them to appear before her committee at noon on Tuesday with the requested material. However, the Legislature’s nonpartisan attorneys issued two memos saying the subpoenas needed the signature of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to be valid. Vos has said he won’t sign them but would support subpoenas sought by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who is leading a separate investigation ordered by Vos. Gableman has yet to issue any subpoenas. “It’s common knowledge that the (Legislature’s attorneys) have issued two memos indicating the subpoena is invalid,” Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday. “Speaker Vos has indicated he’s not signing them, so I believe one can guess our response. However, we wanted to do our due diligence.” Christenson also noted that the subpoena, which is nearly identical to a letter submitted by a Republican lawmaker in Pennsylvania for elections data, equipment and ballots in that state, asks for signature-matching software that isn’t used in Wisconsin. “It was clearly just a cut-and-paste job,” Christenson said of Brandtjen’s subpoena.

Full Article: Milwaukee County prepared to reject election subpoena

Wisconsin governor: $680K for election probe is ‘outrageous’ | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Monday that it was “outrageous” that Republicans planned to spend $680,000 on an investigation into the 2020 election in Wisconsin, accusing Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of “drinking the Kool-Aid” after meeting with former President Donald Trump. A Republican-controlled Assembly committee gave approval Monday, on a 5-3 party-line vote, to designating former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman as special counsel to lead the investigation ordered by Vos, assist the Assembly Elections Committee and hire investigators and others as needed. Vos said on Friday that the contract will allow for spending up to $680,000 on the probe. That is more than nine times as much as the original contract with Gableman and the vote comes a week after Vos flew with Trump to a campaign rally in Alabama where the two discussed the Wisconsin investigation. “I think it’s outrageous,” Evers said of the GOP election probe, saying the money would be wasted.

Full Article: Wisconsin governor: $680K for election probe is ‘outrageous’

Wisconsin: Reince Priebus says subpoenas will be issued soon in review of election that will cost $680,000 or more | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin lawmakers will spend hundreds of thousands to review the presidential election and will soon issue subpoenas as part of their effort, according to Reince Priebus, the former head of the state and national arms of the Republican Party. Priebus, the first chief of staff to former President Donald Trump, made the comments Tuesday on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s podcast. He described the plans three days after Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester met with Trump about his plans to review the election. Vos has faced pressure from both the left and right as he seeks to examine an election that courts have determined was conducted properly. Joe Biden narrowly won the state and gained a handful of votes in recounts requested by Trump in Dane and Milwaukee counties. Priebus told Bannon that Republicans who control the Legislature had agreed to “fully fund” an investigation that would cost “about $680,000, at least to start.” He did not say whether the funds would come from taxpayers, donors or a mix of the two. Vos this summer hired former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman to oversee the review. Gableman in November contended the election was stolen.

Full Article: Reince Priebus says $680,000 or more will be spent on election review

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker meets with Trump on election review two months after the former president trashed him | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he spent Saturday briefing Donald Trump on his efforts to review Wisconsin’s presidential election — two months after the former president said Vos and other Republican leaders weren’t doing enough on that front. Vos, of Rochester, said he was invited to travel by private plane with Trump to his rally in Alabama. In a statement, Vos said he provided Trump with “details about our robust efforts in Wisconsin to restore full integrity and trust in elections.” The talk with Trump comes at a politically difficult time for Vos, who faces conflicting pressures over how to review an election that both election officials and courts have determined Joe Biden narrowly won. Just before Wisconsin’s annual Republican convention in June, Trump issued a statement accusing Vos and other GOP leaders of “working hard to cover up election corruption.” “Don’t fall for their lies! These REPUBLICAN ‘leaders’ need to step up and support the people who elected them by providing them a full forensic investigation. If they don’t, I have little doubt that they will be primaried and quickly run out of office,” Trump said in his statement. Vos responded by saying Trump was misinformed. He announced at the convention he had hired former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman at taxpayer expense to oversee a review of the election.

Full Article: Robin Vos spends day with Trump talking Wisconsin election review

Wisconsin GOP lawmaker seeks to seize ballots and voting machines in Milwaukee and Brown counties | Patrick Marley Molly Beck Hope Karnopp Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A Republican state lawmaker sought Friday to seize ballots and voting machines in Milwaukee and Brown counties as conservatives try to ramp up to review a presidential election that courts have already determined was decided properly. What happens next is unclear. A June memo from the nonpartisan Wisconsin Legislative Council suggests the subpoenas may not be valid because neither Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester or Assembly Chief Clerk Ted Blazel’s signatures appear on them. Republican Rep. Janel Brandtjen of Menomonee Falls, the chairwoman of the Assembly Elections Committee, issued the subpoenas as part of a wide-ranging examination of an election Joe Biden narrowly won over Donald Trump. The subpoenas are nearly identical to a letter issued last month by a Republican lawmaker in Pennsylvania.  “This is not something that we’re going to be doing just in 2020. We’re going to be doing it every year going forward,” Brandtjen told hundreds gathered on the Capitol steps Friday who were demanding an expansive review of the election. Election officials in the two counties did not say if they would comply with the subpoenas. Only Vos has the authority to issue legislative subpoenas to compel county officials in Wisconsin to testify or produce records, according to a legal analysis by the Legislative Council provided to Democratic Rep. Mark Spreitzer of Beloit.

Full Article: GOP lawmaker seeks to seize ballots and voting machines in Milwaukee and Brown counties

Wisconsin Republican expands 2020 election investigation | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

The highest ranking Republican in the Wisconsin Assembly said Friday that he was expanding a probe into the 2020 presidential election, saying it will take more investigators and time than originally planned. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos signed contracts in June with two retired police detectives and a former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice to handle the investigation. But those two investigators quit earlier this month, Vos confirmed for the first time Friday, leading him to “take a different tack.” Vos has designated retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman as a “special counsel” and empowered him to hire as many investigators as he wants, with the goal of completing the probe this fall. “If he thinks he needs one person, great,” Vos told The Associated Press. “If he thinks he needs half a dozen, great.” Gableman did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment. The move comes amid growing calls from former President Donald Trump and other Wisconsin Republicans for a broader audit. Vos announced the move just three days after he said a fellow Republican lawmaker who was calling for a “forensic audit” was misinformed about the work already underway.

Full Article: Wisconsin Republican expands 2020 election investigation

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos does not want another election probe, says ‘forensic audit’ already happening in Wisconsin | Hope Karnopp/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A vow from the chairwoman of the Assembly elections committee to conduct a “comprehensive, forensic examination” of the 2020 election is getting pushback from the state’s top Republican and the chair of the state Elections Commission. Rep. Janel Brandtjen issued a statement Monday that her committee would request materials for an investigation “in the coming days,” but has not said what those would include or what the exact timeline would be. “Voters have made it clear that they want a thorough, cyber-forensic examination of tabulators, ballot marking devices and other election equipment, which I will be helping facilitate on behalf of the committee as the chair,” Brandtjen said. But Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Tuesday that the state’s two ongoing investigations are enough and said he didn’t know what her investigation would prove. “I feel like my colleague Representative Brandtjen is misinformed about what we’re doing in Wisconsin because we are already doing a forensic audit,” Vos said. “Certainly, if she wants to add extra resources from her two staff people in the office to be able to assist the investigators that we have and the audit bureau and what they’re doing, we welcome everybody to offer whatever evidence that they have.”

Full Article: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos does not want 3rd Wisconsin election probe

Wisconsin Republican vows ‘forensic examination’ of ballots despite no evidence of widespread fraud | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

The Republican head of the Wisconsin Assembly elections committee said Monday she will ensure there is a “comprehensive, forensic examination” of ballots cast in the 2020 presidential election at the same time the state’s nonpartisan audit bureau conducts a review. The broadened investigation comes amid pressure from former President Donald Trump and other national Republicans to take a closer look in Wisconsin, a state President Joe Biden won by just over 20,000 votes. There is no evidence of widespread fraud and courts rejected numerous lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies attempting to overturn the outcome. Democrats have derided calls for more investigations as feeding into conspiracy theories and lies that Trump actually won the state. One of the loudest critics of how the election was run is Rep. Janel Brandtjen, chair of the Assembly elections committee. She said in a statement Monday that her committee will request additional materials to conduct a deeper review. The committee’s investigation is in addition to a review ordered by Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, being done by three retired police detectives and overseen by a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, and the independent review by the audit committee. Another separate, independent investigation is being done by several individuals convinced there was widespread fraud in Wisconsin, despite no evidence. That effort is being led by Peter Bernegger, who was convicted of mail fraud and bank fraud in federal court in Mississippi in 2009.

Full Article: Wisconsin Republican promises forensic election audit

Wisconsin: Following Warning By Trump, Vos Announces Former Justice Will Lead Assembly GOP Election Probe | Shawn Johnson/Wisconsin Public Radio

A day after being attacked by former President Donald Trump, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told Wisconsin Republicans at their annual convention that former conservative state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman would oversee an investigation of the 2020 election. Gableman, Vos said, would oversee three retired police officers who were hired by the Wisconsin Assembly. Vos said the group is “looking into the shenanigans” that happened in the 2020 election, which Trump has repeatedly falsely claimed he won. “We wanted to make sure that you were the first people to know,” Vos told GOP activists. “Because you are the ones who have done everything possible to make sure that our conservative candidates win for the Legislature, from the county clerk all the way up to the presidency.” Gableman served a single 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court before stepping down in 2018. While he promised that his work on the election probe would not be partisan, Gableman’s Republican ties run deep, and GOP activists greeted him warmly Saturday. “I’m glad to be here — glad to see so many friends,” Gableman said. “When I fought evil every day at the state Supreme Court for 10 years, I fought for you.”

Full Article: Following Warning By Trump, Vos Announces Former Justice Will Lead Assembly GOP Election Probe | Wisconsin Public Radio

Wisconsin: Experts warn against ‘sham audits’ movement | Darrell Ehrlick and Melanie Conklin/Wisconsin Examiner

Experts for three different organizations came together this week to discuss the latest in the undermining democracy trend: illegitimate election recounts. They warned that conspiracy theories, disinformation and outright lies can spread through more than just social media, undermining legitimate elections. Those spreading the disinformation also prey upon people who may not be familiar with the process of government, they warn. Officials from the Protect Democracy, Fair Fight Action and States United Action have launched a new website with toolkits to help people understand the differences between real election audits and “fake” or “sham” audits. All three groups agree that the audit taking in place in Arizona’s Maricopa County is not credible — because of the lack of experience of the company conducting it, the methods that are being used, and the lack of transparency. Experts who spoke as part of the panel also said that other auditing, recounting and canvassing done through the State of Arizona long ago proved the election’s legitimacy. The new website, Notanaudit.com, is the joint project of the three groups. They say the Arizona “audit” is just the beginning of what is likely going to be a growing trend that will pit career election officials against politicians and start-up companies claiming to be able to do forensic and large-scale audits. They warn that without better public education, people could become more confused and lose confidence in what is otherwise a very safe, secure and — above all — accurate election process. Moreover, the “spillover” effect from the recount in Arizona is giving some momentum to groups in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin to begin audit election results that were certified and validated months ago. Four Wisconsin legislators were among Republicans from various states who took a field trip to Arizona to observe the ballot counting.

Source: Experts warn against ‘sham audits’ movement – Wisconsin Examiner

Wisconsin voting laws: What local election clerks think of GOP bills | Hope Karnopp/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Republican and Democratic lawmakers have drawn clear lines on where they stand on changing Wisconsin’s voting laws. But the officials responsible for administering those laws have a more nuanced view of bills that have made their way through the state Legislature. The Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association registered against most of the bills but are supportive or neutral on two of the proposals. The group represents election officials from around the state, in both red and blue areas. The past year challenged clerks like none other, especially during the April 2020 presidential primary when state leaders fought in court over whether to hold the election during the emerging pandemic, leaving clerks caught in the middle. “In the midst of (the April election), I remember thinking this election is going to make or break a lot of clerks and I think there was a lot of resigning afterwards. Most things don’t stress me out but that election gave me gray hair,” said Village of Oakfield Clerk Miriam Thomas. “Most things don’t bother me at all but it was stressful especially right up to it, having the laws go back and forth, back and forth.” Now, clerks say some of the legislation proposed by Republicans in the aftermath of the contentious 2020 elections could add to their workload. What are some of the voting proposals being debated, and what do clerks — who administer elections at the local level — think about them? Brookfield Clerk Kelly Michaels chairs the legislative and communications and advocacy committee for the clerks’ association. She said the committee held a long meeting after the bills were introduced to try to figure out the implications of the legislation. “In a perfect world, things happen this way or should happen this way, but in an unperfect world, when you’ve got a thousand voters lined up at your door, is it really going to work that way?” Michaels said.

Full Article: Wisconsin voting laws: What local election clerks think of GOP bills

Wisconsin man is scanning ballots in his own review of 2020 election | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Republican lawmakers aren’t the only ones examining Wisconsin’s presidential election. A New London man has been making copies of ballots in some communities as he conducts his own review of an election Joe Biden narrowly won. “Our intention is to have true and honest elections. You hear all kinds of rumors and we want to dispel some of those if they’re not true,” Peter Bernegger said when asked about his endeavor. Bernegger declined to say what his plans are but said he would announce them in the coming weeks. Recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties and more than a half dozen lawsuits upheld Biden’s victory. Bernegger’s push to inspect ballots comes as Republican lawmakers ramp up their own review of the election. They have hired former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman and former law enforcement officers at taxpayer expense to conduct their review as they decide whether to pass more election-related legislation. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester has acknowledged Biden won the election. That has won him enmity from former President Donald Trump, who has said Vos, Senate President Chris Kapenga of Delafield and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu of Oostburg haven’t done enough to investigate the election.

Full Article: Wisconsin man is scanning ballots in his own review of 2020 election

Wisconsin Governor vetoes bill limiting grants to help run elections | Patrick Marley/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have barred a nonprofit group from repeating its practice of giving millions of dollars to more than 200 Wisconsin communities to help them run elections. The Center for Tech and Civic Life gave money to cities around the country last year using $350 million from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The effort riled Republicans because most of the money in Wisconsin — $8.8 million out of $10.6 million — went to the state’s five largest cities, where Democratic voters are concentrated. Assembly Bill 173 would have prohibited local governments from accepting donations to help run elections from the center or other private groups. Any donations to the state for conducting elections would have to be equally distributed to local governments based on their populations. The Democratic governor in his veto message noted election officials must follow strict state laws for how they run elections, regardless of how they get their funding. Center for Tech and Civic Life officials said the group made the donations because government funding didn’t account for all the increased costs during the coronavirus pandemic. Evers wrote in his veto message that the donations “helped them conduct safe elections under extraordinary circumstances.” “During the coronavirus pandemic, our state and local election officials performed admirably to ensure the 2020 elections in each of our communities were conducted freely, fairly, and in accordance with our election laws,” Evers wrote.

Full Article: Wisconsin Gov. Evers vetoes bill limiting grants to help run elections

Wisconsin GOP leaders say Trump is ‘misinformed’ after the former president claimed they are hiding election corruption | Molly Beck/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Former President Donald Trump’s election loss loomed over the state Republican Party’s annual gathering as legislative leaders celebrated their investigation into the contest just hours after the man who spurred those questions berated them for not doing enough. The convention closed with a symbolic and unsuccessful effort by a small group of delegates to oust Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, underscoring divisions within Wisconsin Republicans over whether and how far to litigate the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Vos, a Republican from Rochester, announced at Saturday’s convention session he was hiring at taxpayer expense a former conservative Supreme Court justice to oversee an investigation by retired police detectives into the election — the third such review Vos has called for. But just hours beforehand, Trump issued a statement seeking to turn the GOP faithful against Vos and the Legislature’s Republican leaders by accusing them of covering up election corruption because the review was not broad enough in the former president’s view.

Full Article: Trump claims Wisconsin GOP leaders tried to ‘cover up’ election fraud

Wisconsin Republican using thousands in taxpayer money to investigate 2020 election: report | Caroline Vakil/The Hill

Two retired police officers hired by Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) to investigate the state’s 2020 vote count are being paid thousands of dollars in taxpayer money. The Associated Press reported details of the contracts on Thursday, citing documents it obtained. News of the hires was first announced last month. The contracts show that the investigators hired so far, Mike Sandvick and Steve Page, are each being paid $3,200 per month over three months, or about $9,600 total, to look into “potential irregularities and/or illegalities” in last year’s presidential election, the AP reported. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had reported in May that the state’s top Republican would be hiring retired police officers to look into specific areas of the 2020 election. The AP reports that Vos plans on hiring a third investigator and an attorney to handle the investigation.

Full Article: Top Wisconsin Republican using thousands in taxpayer money to investigate 2020 election: report | TheHill

Wisconsin Republicans to send election bills to governor | Scott Bauer/Associated Press

The Wisconsin Assembly planned to send bills to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday that would limit opportunities for absentee voting, make it more difficult for the elderly and disabled to cast absentee ballots, and prohibit officials from filling in missing information on the envelopes of returned absentee ballots. Evers is expected to veto all of the Republican-backed measures, which cleared the GOP-controlled Senate along party line votes earlier this year. Conservatives are pushing more than a dozen election bills following former President Donald Trump’s narrow loss in battleground Wisconsin to President Joe Biden. Republican backers say the bills would address shortcomings in Wisconsin election law that were exposed during the November 2020 election. Opponents say they’re an attempt to perpetuate the lie that Trump actually won and are meant to disenfranchise voter groups that tend to back Democrats. Wisconsin Republicans have already approved a review of the 2020 election by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau and hired retired police officers to investigate unfounded reports of widespread voter fraud. Trump’s defeat was upheld following recounts in Milwaukee and Dane counties and in numerous state and federal lawsuits.

Full Article: Wisconsin Republicans to send election bills to governor

Wisconsin: Republican Bill Would Limit How Ballot Drop Boxes Could Be Deployed | Will Keneally/PBS Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Legislature is proceeding with bills that would change how the state runs elections, reflecting the ongoing Republican response to the 2020 election. The Assembly elections committee heard testimony Tuesday on one bill that would limit how local clerks can place ballot drop boxes. A version of the bill was passed the previous week by the state Senate in a broader package of election-related bills. “People in the state need to have a general idea of where voting is taking place,” said Rep. Tyler August, R-Lake Geneva, one of the bill’s authors. “I think any time a ballot is not a secured facility, that there is a potential for issues.” The legislation is largely in response to the Democracy in the Park event held before the 2020 election, during which poll workers in Madison helped witness and collected absentee ballots. Critics of the event said it was de facto early voting — during which voters can receive and cast ballots at designated locations in the two weeks before Election Day. However, Madison city attorney and the state’s former chief elections official Michael Haas said the event was not early voting because no ballots were being issued at the dropoff sites in city parks.

Full Article: Republican Bill Would Limit How Ballot Drop Boxes Could Be Deployed in Wisconsin