Earlier this week, the legislature’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) utilized its statutory authority to suspend Emergency Rule 2209. This rule had been issued by the Wisconsin Elections Commission to allow clerks to complete a witness’s missing address information on an absentee ballot. Despite this clear action from the legislature, WEC is now telling clerks that they may ignore this directive. Senator Patrick Testin issued the following statement in response to these actions:
“Unelected bureaucrats are not above the law; they cannot pick and choose which laws they follow. WEC’s guidance to clerks is irresponsible and in violation of both its mission and state law. WEC’s continued attempts to relax state election law must stop. I agree with JCRAR Co-Chairman Steve Nass that immediate legal action is necessary to compel WEC’s compliance with the law.”
