Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Defends Her Position to State Lawmakers

Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

(Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) The state elections chief is defending her tenure as administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission to state lawmakers ahead of a key vote this week that could help determine her future as the state's top election official.

According to Molly Beck with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, commission administrator Meagan Wolfe in a letter to lawmakers on Saturday said she was reaching out to provide lawmakers with facts about the commission's work and her job during the 2020 election ahead of a meeting commissioners have scheduled this week to discuss whether to propose Wolfe be reappointed.

That move could lead to Wolfe losing her job as Republicans who control the state Senate have signaled they do not support confirming her to another term. President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in 2020 by about 21,000 votes, a result that has been confirmed by two recounts paid by Trump, state audits, a partisan review, a conservative study and multiple lawsuits.

But Trump has continued to lie about the result of Wisconsin's last presidential election, bolstering an industry of election deniers who have made Wolfe the symbol of their false claims because of her position at the elections commission.

At the same time, some Republican lawmakers have also targeted Wolfe because of actions the bipartisan panel of six commissioners voted to take during the coronavirus pandemic at a time when health officials were advising people to avoid crowds, some of which have since been ruled to be illegal by judges.

Wolfe was not a voting member in these decisions. Wolfe's term as administrator of the state elections agency expires on July 1. Members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission plan to meet Tuesday to discuss the matter.

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