{"id":2031330,"date":"2023-09-14T01:39:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T05:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2020-election-fallout-wisconsins-chief-election-official-says-will-fight-looming-senate-ouster-as-democrats-eye-legal-loophole\/"},"modified":"2023-09-14T01:40:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T05:40:26","slug":"2020-election-fallout-wisconsins-chief-election-official-says-will-fight-looming-senate-ouster-as-democrats-eye-legal-loophole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2020-election-fallout-wisconsins-chief-election-official-says-will-fight-looming-senate-ouster-as-democrats-eye-legal-loophole\/","title":{"rendered":"Wisconsin&#8217;s Election Official Vows to Resist Senate Ouster Amid Election Fallout"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F2020-election-fallout-wisconsins-chief-election-official-says-will-fight-looming-senate-ouster-as-democrats-eye-legal-loophole%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2031330&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>Meagan\u200b Wolfe, the administrator of the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC), has suffered another setback in her struggle to hang on to her office as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-caught-them-lin-wood-outed-mysterious-georgia-operative-gabe-sterling-now-video-shows-him-admitting-he-helped-set-up-drop-boxes-and-promoted-far-left-activists-as-absentee-ballot-counters\/\" title=\"WE CAUGHT THEM: Lin Wood Outed Mysterious Georgia Operative Gabe Sterling - Now Video Shows Him Admitting He Helped Set Up Drop Boxes and Promoted Far Left Activists as Absentee Ballot Counters\">chief election official<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On Sept. 11, the five-member state Senate Committee on Shared Revenue, Elections, and Consumer Protection voted 3-1-1 to recommend that the full Senate \u2062hand Ms. Wolfe her walking papers over\u2062 allegations of partisan behavior within her role.<\/p>\n<p>Voting against Ms. Wolfe&#8217;s nomination were Republican Sens. Dan Knodl, Dan Feyen, and Romaine Quinn. Sen. Mark Spreitzer, a Democrat, was the lone committee member to vote to reappoint Ms. Wolfe to a second four-year term. Democrat Sen. Jeff Smith abstained.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/courts-likely-to-decide-fate-of-embattled-wisconsin-election-chief-5484387\">Courts Likely to Decide Fate \u2064of Embattled Wisconsin Election Chief<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/1\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/courts-likely-to-decide-fate-of-embattled-wisconsin-election-chief-5484387\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/wisconsin-elections-chief-meagan-wolfe-faces-uphill-battle-for-reappointment-5349943\">Wisconsin Elections Chief Meagan Wolfe Faces Uphill Battle for Reappointment<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">6\/23\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/wisconsin-elections-chief-meagan-wolfe-faces-uphill-battle-for-reappointment-5349943\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>    \u200b The members cast their votes by paper ballots with no \u200bdiscussion.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A Long Listening Session<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>    The committee made its decision after conducting a four-hour-long public hearing on Aug. 29, in which a scathing critique of WEC\u2019s introduction of new policies and practices\u2014especially its management of the 2020 election\u2014was presented by the non-partisan\u2062 Legislative Audit Bureau.\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<p>Following the audit report, a parade of Wisconsinites from all over the state took the witness chair to speak against Ms. Wolfe continuing on as WEC administrator.<\/p>\n<p>Most of her\u2062 detractors\u2062 told the hearing that, based on what they consider her \u200bmishandling of the 2020 election, ordinary citizens have lost trust in Ms.\u200c Wolfe\u2019s ability to fairly administer the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-appears-to-be-a-popular-lead-for-2024-straw-poll-shows\/\" title=\"DeSantis Appears To Be A Popular Lead For 2024, Straw Poll Shows\">upcoming 2024 presidential election<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In 2020, Ms. Wolfe had a hand in making \u200dand implementing decisions that many Republicans\u2062 worry may have helped Joe Biden eke out a 0.63 percent victory over then-President Donald \u200dTrump\u2014a margin of just\u200b 20,682 votes out of the 3.3 million cast.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Meagan Wolfe, \u2063the head of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, speaks during\u200d a virtual press conference on Nov. 4, 2020. (Wisconsin Elections Commission via \u2063Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2><strong>A Catalog of Missteps<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>    \u200b Some of the controversial actions Ms. Wolfe presided over include the installation \u200cof\u200d mail-in ballot drop boxes\u2014later declared illegal by the Wisconsin Supreme Court; the \u2064relaxing of signature verification standards and voter identification requirements; expanding \u200bthe definition of &#8220;indefinitely confined&#8221; \u200cabsentee voters to include thousands of ineligible people; and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2020-election-fallout-wisconsins-chief-election-official-says-will-fight-looming-senate-ouster-as-democrats-eye-legal-loophole\/\" title=\"Wisconsin's Election Official Vows to Resist Senate Ouster Amid Election Fallout\">allowing\u2064 elderly nursing \u2064home\u2064 residents<\/a> to receive mail-in ballots without them being delivered and returned by specially designated election officers, as required by Wisconsin law.\n  <\/div>\n<p>Those speaking at the hearing in favor of \u2062Ms. Wolfe commended her for \u200dher competence, experience, and responsiveness to the needs of local election\u200b officials during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>Several supporters said it would be \u200ddifficult \u200dfor localities \u2062to \u2062manage the upcoming 2024 presidential election without Ms. Wolfe&#8217;s \u200dexpertise.<\/p>\n<p>Concerning the WEC\u2019s missteps and legal problems, her supporters\u200b contended that \u200cshe was merely carrying out the wishes \u2063of her superiors.<\/p>\n<p>By\u200c law, WEC is a body composed of three Republicans and three Democrats. It was created by the state legislature in 2016.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>    \u2062   In recent letters and memos released \u2064to the public\u2062 in which Ms. Wolfe defended herself, she asserted the same argument about her subordinate role. But the \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.legis.wisconsin.gov\/statutes\/statutes\/15\/III\/61\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statute<\/a> establishing the WEC states \u2063in pertinent part: \u201cThe elections commission shall be\u2062 under the direction and supervision of \u2063an\u2062 administrator \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>A Political \u2064Stratagem?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>    Just before Ms. Wolfe\u2019s term was set to expire at midnight on June 30, the WEC met for the purpose of reappointing her to another term.\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<p>By statute, four votes are needed to move her appointment forward for confirmation \u2062by the Wisconsin State Senate.\u2062 Ms. Wolfe only mustered three\u2014surprisingly, they were all from the \u200cRepublican members.<\/p>\n<p>Aware that Ms. Wolfe had worn out her welcome among the\u200b Republican supermajority in the\u2063 Senate and that she was headed there for a defeat, the three\u200c WEC Democrat members decided to abstain.<\/p>\n<p>They explained that while they supported Ms. Wolfe, the parliamentary tactic\u200d of abstaining might enable them to save her from almost certain rejection by the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>In May\u200c 2019, Ms. Wolfe was unanimously confirmed by\u200c that same body.<\/p>\n<p>WEC\u2019s three Democrat members are now trying to keep the Republican legislative majority from ousting Ms. Wolfe by contending that because she\u2064 failed to get four votes from WEC, she has not been formally nominated and therefore, there is no vacancy and \u200bno valid nomination for the Senate to advise and\u200b consent on.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee election commission, collects the count from absentee ballots from a voting machine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Nov. 4, 2020. (Scott Olson\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2><strong>GOP Resolve<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>    The parliamentary move \u2063by unelected WEC commissioners \u200dto stymie the Senate has led some Republican lawmakers to assert that such \u200can action \u2064thwarts the will of the people as expressed through their elected representatives.\n  <\/p><\/div>\n<p>Speaking for the GOP majority, Mr. Knodl, the committee\u2019s chairman stated, \u201cWe will\u200d not abdicate the Senate\u2019s authority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The day\u200c after the WEC&#8217;s Democrat \u200bmembers abstained, the Senate passed a resolution on\u2062 a part<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin Election Commission administrator, faces another setback in her fight to retain her position as chief election official. The state Senate Committee on Shared Revenue, Elections, and Consumer Protection voted 3-1-1 on Sept. 11 to recommend her removal. The full Senate will decide her fate soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":369,"featured_media":2031331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2031330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/369"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2031330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2031331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2031330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2031330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2031330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}