ROME – I want to weigh in on the 2020 Election in Wisconsin.

Why do this now? Well, with the recent completion of the Legislative Audit Bureau report, the charges filed in Racine on possible voter fraud and intimidation and the interim report from the Special Counsel all now a matter of record, I think it’s time that those of us in positions of responsibility tell people where we stand on the situation.

I have received multiple contacts and questions about the 2020 election and my goal is to provide support in any way that I can to protect the integrity of our system and the votes of my constituents in any election.

I have said in meetings and on local radio, something that I want to say here. Elections in Wisconsin are subject to state law and are conducted by local officials. I know that our area local officials in Wisconsin ran fair and honest elections. Our area local officials did the best possible job, under trying circumstances that included a pandemic and included some confusion about guidance from the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC). Except for one known area in the district our local area clerks ran impeccable election sites here.

Having said that, the report of the Legislative Audit Bureau does show that the 2020 Wisconsin election process had multiple points in which the public can question the integrity of the system. These issues cannot stand. I know the legislature will assess these issues and I know we will take action as needed to correct them as appropriate.

As the Special Counsel states in his interim report, many questions remain to be fully answered or accounted for. I was quite enlightened with the Audit Bureau report in which the Bureau utilized forensic best practices to deliver to the legislature some hard facts on things that should not occur with absentee ballots in any Wisconsin election, pandemic or not.

I look forward to the full report of the Special Counsel on the outstanding issues and who we can look to for answers from. Whether it is the situation in Racine (which is potentially a much wider issue that the state AG must investigate) or the unprecedented election management authority given to an outside consultant in Green Bay, the people deserve answers.

I will say, further, that any municipalities like Madison and Milwaukee that continue to put up roadblocks to the Special Counsel must be compelled to cooperate. If the State Attorney General is going to continue to sit this out, we as a legislature must support the efforts of the Special Counsel to deliver the facts to us.

As the Special Counsel states in his interim report, “The legislature, and the public have a right to all available information and the testimony of election officials about elections administration in Wisconsin.”

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