By H.O.T. Government | January 11, 2024
UPDATED January 17, 2024
No Surprise: Assembly Did Not Vote on January 16 on
Meagan Wolfe Impeachment
A resolution to impeach WEC administrator Meagan Wolfe was to be presented on the floor of the Wisconsin General Assembly on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. As you’ll see from Rep. Brandtjen’s update at right, that didn’t happen.
We urge you to contact your State Representative to demand a floor vote! Click here to identify and find contact information for your state representatives.
A resolution to impeach Meagan Wolfe, administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, will be presented on the floor of the assembly on January 16, 2024 at 1:00 pm. See how your representative votes … or not!
A message from Representative Janel Brandtjen
THE HISTORY
The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) Administrator, Meagan Wolfe, violated multiple laws during the 2020 fall election. She is specifically mentioned in the Supreme Court case (Teigen v. WEC), where it is argued that the use of drop boxes violated the law:
“Justice Bradley concluded ‘thousands of votes have been cast via this unlawful method,’ using drop boxes, ‘thereby directly harming the Wisconsin voters.”
Wolfe’s decision to remove special voting deputies from senior facilities resulted in a lack of a clear chain of custody for the 2020 ballots.
Wolfe ignored the presence of non-profits operating within clerks’ offices, utilizing $8 million in private funding specifically allocated for the top five Democratic cities.
The Legislative Audit Bureau investigated the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s performance during the 2020 election and submitted its report, “Elections Administration,” citing wrongdoings and recommendations.
Justice Gableman was appointed to examine the irregularities in the 2020 election and subsequently released his report.
Wolfe remained silent when Madison and Milwaukee unlawfully informed residents that they could designate themselves as indefinitely confined, consequently exempting them from the requirement to present an ID to vote. The Wisconsin Supreme Court subsequently deemed this practice illegal.
“Indefinitely confined voters, who are supposed to be physically unable to go to the polls due to age, disability, or illness, increased by an astounding 393 percent in Dane County from 2016 to 2020; 492 percent in Racine County; 281 percent in Milwaukee County; and 287 percent in the state overall.”
The WEC commissioners voted to determine whether Wolfe should retain her position; however, the three Democratic commissioners abstained from voting in a strategic move, allowing her to maintain her position. As a majority vote is required for the approval of an administrator, and the commissioners failed to reach a consensus, the responsibility would normally fall on the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization (JCLO) to make the appointment. In this case, the committee took no action.
Click here to learn about the impeachment process in Wisconsin.
Several false statements were circulated regarding the reasons for not removing Wolfe from her position. These included claims that the resolution requires a two-thirds majority, the governor must appoint the next administrator, there is no better candidate than Wolfe for the job, or that it is necessary to await the conclusion of the court case before proceeding with any action.
Legislative Council drafted the memo, Appointment of the Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator, which states that the JCLO has the power to appoint an administrator for a one-year term.
SENATE ACTIONS
The Senate voted to remove Administrator Wolfe during a floor session along party lines.
Wolfe filed a lawsuit against the Senate to retain her position, with Attorney General Kaul representing her. A Madison judge ruled in Wolfe’s favor, asserting that her removal was invalid due to the Democrats’ decision not to vote. This ruling seemingly allows her to stay in her position indefinitely, a result not originally intended for that role, or any position, per the judge’s interpretation.
Senate President Kapenga formally requested Speaker Vos to advance the resolution in the Assembly, recognizing it as the required next step.
ASSEMBLY ACTIONS
A resolution explaining 15 articles for the impeachment of Wolfe was introduced. However, Speaker Vos diverted it from the usual process by sending it to a committee, contrary to the typical resolution procedure.
A new resolution, introduced by Representative Wichgers, focuses specifically on the laws broken related to drop boxes. Speaker Vos has not taken any action on the resolution at this time.
WHAT’S NEXT
Either one of the resolutions must move to the Assembly floor for a vote, which only needs 50 votes to pass despite having 64 Republicans in the Assembly.
The JCLO should have taken action after the WEC commission vote failed. It is up to this committee to make a temporary appointment 45 days after the Senate floor vote, according to statute 15.61(1)b(1).
The WEC Administrator is designed to be a non-partisan role, yet the legal violations by Wolfe have raised concerns about potential political bias, leaning towards Democratic views. Ensuring that the individual overseeing the next presidential election remains impartial and free from evident political bias is crucial. Wolfe should be replaced with an individual who strictly adheres to our existing election laws to save our republic.