The Wisconsin Elections Commission is at a crossroads as Meagan Wolfe, the nonpartisan administrator, faces calls for her replacement while defending her performance in the battleground state’s previous presidential election, Your Content has learned.
In a bid to maintain stability, Wolfe urged officials on Wednesday to vote in favor of extending her term or selecting a successor who would ensure continuity.
With her term concluding on July 1, uncertainty hangs in the air. Commissioners are carefully considering the likelihood of their nominee receiving Senate confirmation, as some lawmakers have already expressed their opposition to Wolfe.
A recent Supreme Court ruling, however, may grant the commission the authority to retain Wolfe without requiring a Senate confirmation vote.
Expressing her support for the commission’s decision, Wolfe emphasized her decade-plus of experience in overseeing Wisconsin elections at the state level.
In a letter addressed to county and municipal clerks, she acknowledged that while she would endorse the appointment of a new administrator, her absence would result in a less experienced leader at the helm.
Wolfe urged the Senate to promptly confirm the appointee chosen by the six bipartisan election commissioners.
Republican lawmakers have demanded her resignation in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of election theft in 2020.
Despite enduring two partial recounts, a nonpartisan audit, a review by a conservative law firm, numerous state and federal lawsuits, and a Republican-ordered review that uncovered no evidence of widespread fraud before the investigator’s termination, Wolfe remains steadfast.
She is widely respected as one of the most reputable election officials in the country and has held leadership positions in esteemed election organizations, including the National Association of State Election Directors and the Electronic Registration Information Center.
Nevertheless, several Republican lawmakers have already pledged to vote against her confirmation if she is nominated, with Senate President Chris Kapenga asserting that her confirmation is highly unlikely.
In defense of her work and the commission, Wolfe denounced what she deemed “misinformation” propagated by a vocal minority. In her letter, she underscored her success in conducting elections under extraordinarily challenging circumstances, both in the state and the nation’s history.
Don Millis, the Republican chair of the elections commission, was unavailable for immediate comment when contacted by The Associated Press.
However, he informed the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that a vote on appointing an administrator is forthcoming, emphasizing that it is the commission’s obligation to fulfill its duties, according U.S. News.
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