{"id":2113983,"date":"2023-12-02T06:31:01","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T11:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whats-driving-the-efforts-from-wisconsin-republicans-to-remove-top-elections-official\/"},"modified":"2023-12-02T06:35:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-02T11:35:39","slug":"whats-driving-the-efforts-from-wisconsin-republicans-to-remove-top-elections-official","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whats-driving-the-efforts-from-wisconsin-republicans-to-remove-top-elections-official\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are Wisconsin Republicans pushing to oust top elections official?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Fwhats-driving-the-efforts-from-wisconsin-republicans-to-remove-top-elections-official%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=2113983&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--><h2>Republican\u2063 Lawmakers in Wisconsin\u2062 Seek to Remove Nonpartisan \u2062Elections Official<\/h2>\n<p>Republican\u2064 lawmakers in \u200bWisconsin are making \u2063a push \u2062to oust the state&#8217;s nonpartisan \u200dtop elections \u200dofficial, a\u2062 move that could \u200dhave significant implications for\u200b the battleground state&#8217;s election rules leading up to the 2024 cycle.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The\u2064 long-standing battle to remove Wisconsin Elections Administrator Meagan Wolfe reached a tipping point earlier this year when state Senate Republicans\u200b voted to fire her. This decision\u200b came after \u2062the \u2063bipartisan \u200celections commission, consisting of three Democrats and three Republicans, deadlocked\u200d on a vote to reappoint her. The vote\u2064 to remove Wolfe\u200c from her post was split along party lines, with Republicans voting 22-11 in favor of\u2062 her removal on September 14. This move was fueled \u200dby \u200bdissatisfaction within the\u200c Wisconsin GOP over\u2062 the 2020 election.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>During \u200ca press conference held\u200d after\u2062 the vote, Wolfe expressed her disbelief\u200b that debunked \u200dclaims about the \u2064election system still seemed to be influencing\u2063 decisions. She has been a target for Republicans since former President Donald Trump&#8217;s loss in the 2020 \u2063presidential election, where\u2063 he and his GOP allies attempted to undermine the results in\u200b Wisconsin, a state narrowly won by President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n<p>One\u200b of the\u2064 main accusations against Wolfe is her alleged allowance\u200c of &#8220;illegal \u200ddrop \u200dboxes&#8221; that were widely used during\u2063 the 2020 election due to the \u200cchallenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling \u200deven\u2063 recommended charges against the election \u2063commissioners,\u2062 claiming that\u200d voting in nursing homes\u200b was carried out\u200d illegally. In \u200blate \u20622021, Republican state Senate\u2063 President Chris Kapenga called for Wolfe&#8217;s \u2064resignation, along with the resignation of all six other commissioners.<\/p>\n<p>Under \u2063state law, municipal clerks are\u200c required to\u200c appoint \u200bSpecial Voting Deputies to nursing homes to assist\u2062 residents with filling out ballots.\u2064 If two attempted visits are made, the deputies can mail absentee ballots to the residents.\u2063 However, due to the \u200bpandemic,\u2062 Governor Tony Evers limited nursing facility access\u2064 to \u2064essential personnel only. Before the 2020 primary, Wolfe recommended changes to the rule, advocating for mail-in ballots. The commission unanimously approved these changes and renewed them for the November 2020 general election.<\/p>\n<p>Following the\u200c state \u200dSenate Republicans&#8217;\u2062 vote \u200bto\u200d fire Wolfe,\u2064 Democratic Attorney General\u200c Josh\u2062 Kaul filed a \u2062lawsuit, asserting that there were \u200cno legal grounds \u200dfor her termination and stating\u200d that she \u2064would remain\u200b in her role.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe Senate\u2019s action\u2064 today, where \u2062they claimed \u200bto have voted on an appointment that was not before them, has no legal effect whatsoever,\u201d Kaul said. \u201cSo, she \u2062remains the administrator. The court, \u200cI\u2019m very confident, will confirm that, but once we get that confirmation hopefully that \u200bwill end any uncertainty about this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Attorneys representing Republican Assembly Speaker Robin \u2063Vos, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, and Kapenga argued in court \u200dfilings that\u2063 the fall vote was symbolic\u200d and meant to express disapproval\u200b of Wolfe&#8217;s \u200cperformance. Dane County Circuit Court Judge Ann \u2062Peacock ruled that \u2063the\u2063 state Senate vote had\u2062 no legal effect and that Wolfe could continue serving \u200das the \u200chead of \u200dthe commission.<\/p>\n<p>Vos acknowledged \u200cthe court&#8217;s ruling and \u200dstated that they would have to wait\u200c for the court process to unfold. However,\u2063 in September, five Republican \u200cAssembly members introduced a motion to impeach Wolfe. This motion was led by GOP state \u200cRepresentatives \u2063Janel \u200cBrandtjen, Scott\u2064 Allen, Elijah Behnke, Ty \u2064Bodden, and\u200d Chuck Wichgers.<\/p>\n<p>In an attempt\u200b to \u200dpressure Vos, a group of \u200delection deniers launched an ad campaign threatening to\u200b remove him \u200bfrom office unless he \u200ballowed the impeachment articles to \u200dmove forward. Vos\u2064 initially resisted the \u2063idea of impeachment, \u200dsuggesting that lawmakers should\u200d appoint a replacement \u200dif the court ruled there was a vacancy.\u200d However,\u2064 he eventually referred the 15\u200c articles of impeachment to\u200c the Assembly Committee on Government\u200b Accountability and \u200bOversight in November.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe people running these ads are obviously from \u2064out-of-state \u2064since anyone living in Wisconsin would know\u2063 of recent \u2064events,\u201d Vos said,\u200d dismissing the ads as uninformed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Kapenga stated that the\u2064 next steps in the impeachment process for Wolfe would be determined by Vos, as the \u2062Senate cannot take action until an\u2063 Assembly hearing \u2063and vote are held.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Speaker Vos has referred an Assembly impeachment resolution to an Assembly committee,\u200b which some believe was intended to end any\u2064 further action. I hope that\u2019s not the\u200b case,\u201d Kapenga told \u2063the Washington Examiner. \u200d&#8221;Under the Senate\u2019s authority to approve or reject non-political \u2064appointed \u200cpositions like \u200dthis,\u2063 we rejected her reappointment. It\u2019s critical for Wisconsin voters to know \u2064the upcoming \u20622024 elections \u2064will be overseen by an unbiased state official.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In another\u200c effort\u2064 to reshape the \u200dstate&#8217;s \u200belection landscape, Republicans on the \u2064Senate&#8217;s elections committee voted against confirming Democratic \u2063Commissioner Joseph\u2063 Czarnezki, who was\u200d appointed\u2063 by\u200d Governor \u200bEvers \u200din\u200b May. Czarnezki had\u200d abstained from voting\u2062 to reappoint Wolfe in June, and his nomination is awaiting\u2062 a \u2064vote by the full \u2062state \u2062Senate.<\/p>\n<p>For now, Wolfe will \u200bcontinue \u2062to serve as the state&#8217;s top election\u200c officer.<\/p>\n<p><em>Click \u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/wisconsin-republicans-oust-elections-official\">here<\/a> to read\u200c more from the Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What\u2063 potential impacts will the outcome of the battle\u2062 over Meagan Wolfe&#8217;s position have on Wisconsin&#8217;s election rules leading \u2063up to the 2024 cycle, and how \u200bmight these changes favor Republicans<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Group of Republican activists started a recall effort against him. \u200bThe activists claim that \u2062Vos has not done\u200d enough to remove Wolfe from her position. Vos has expressed his support for the recall effort,\u200b stating that the decision to\u200d remove\u200c Wolfe should be made by the voters in his district.<\/p>\n<p>The push to remove Wolfe is part of a larger effort \u200dby\u2064 Republicans to tighten election rules\u200b in Wisconsin. They argue that the changes are necessary to ensure the integrity of the state&#8217;s elections. However, critics argue that these changes will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-years-of-high-crime-and-homicides-d-c-democrats-finally-discover-the-police-arent-the-problem\/\" title=\"After Years Of High Crime And Homicides, D.C. Democrats Finally Discover The Police Aren\u2019t The Problem\">disproportionately impact marginalized\u2064 communities<\/a> and make it harder for them to vote.<\/p>\n<p>The battle\u2064 over Wolfe&#8217;s position is likely to continue in the \u2063coming months. \u2062Supporters of Wolfe have expressed their \u200dcommitment to defending her and the nonpartisan nature\u2064 of the position. They argue\u200b that the attempts to remove her are simply a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-minority-leader-kevin-mccarthy-slams-rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-over-conspiracy-theories\/\" title=\"House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Slams Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Over \u2018Conspiracy Theories\u2019\">partisan power grab<\/a> and an attempt to undermine \u2064the legitimacy of the \u200dstate&#8217;s election process.<\/p>\n<p>The outcome of\u2063 this battle will have significant implications for Wisconsin&#8217;s election rules \u2064leading\u2062 up \u2064to the 2024\u2063 cycle. If Wolfe is \u2063removed, it \u200bis likely that the state&#8217;s election \u2064rules will be changed in ways that benefit Republicans. This could have a major impact on \u200dthe outcome \u2063of \u200bfuture\u2064 elections \u200bin the state.<\/p>\n<p>It \u2063is crucial that the public remains informed about \u200cthese\u2062 developments and pays \u200dattention to\u2064 the attempts to remove nonpartisan officials like Wolfe. The integrity\u2064 of our\u200b democratic processes depends on the\u2062 ability of nonpartisan officials \u200dto carry out their duties\u200d free from \u2063political interference.<\/p>\n<p>It is also important for the public to stay engaged \u200dand participate in the\u2063 democratic process. Elections have \u2062consequences, and it \u200dis up to the voters to hold their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/when-our-elected-officials-undermine-the-constitution-its-time-to-defend-it\/\" title=\"Defend the Constitution when officials undermine it.\">elected officials\u200c accountable<\/a> for their actions. By staying informed, speaking out, and voting, we can \u200bensure that our elections remain fair and free from partisan influence.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the \u200dattempts by Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin to remove the nonpartisan elections official, Meagan Wolfe,\u2064 have significant implications for the state&#8217;s election rules\u200c and the integrity \u2063of\u200b its democratic\u2062 processes. It is\u200d crucial for the public to stay informed, engaged, and participate in\u200d the democratic\u200b process to safeguard our elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin aim to remove the nonpartisan top elections official, potentially impacting the battleground state&#8217;s election rules for the 2024 cycle. The ongoing struggle to oust Wisconsin Elections Administrator Meagan Wolfe escalated when state Senate Republicans voted to dismiss her earlier this year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2113984,"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":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2113983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"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\/2113983","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2113983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2113984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2113983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2113983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2113983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}