Madison – Recently the State of Wisconsin was notified by the U.S. Department of Justice that the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) is in violation of the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
Representative Wichgers released the following statement:
“Today, I circulated legislation with Sen. André Jacque (R-New Franken) to correct and clarify the complaint process for potential election related violations under the Help America Vote Act.
The Department of Justice wrote to the Wisconsin Election Commission that they have left complainants alleging HAVA violations ‘without any recourse.’
This bill serves the public. It paves a way for people to have complaints heard and to gain assurance that our elections are safe and secure. The Legislature had an unclear process for dealing with election complaints and WEC abdicated the federal protections guaranteed in HAVA. This legislation gives the public, through WEC, a clear process to employ when someone seeks redress in election matters. It fulfills the legislative duty for oversight of election integrity, and responds responsibly and urgently to the federal warning, ensuring Wisconsin remains eligible for federal support in maintaining secure and accessible elections.”
