MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) will meet this week to discuss and review the findings of an audit into how they handled the 2020 elections.

The 110-page report by the independent and nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau was released in October, and though it did not find any evidence of widespread fraud, it did identify several issues and areas for improvement.

What You Need To Know

  • In October, the Legislative Audit Bureau made dozens of recommendations as to how elections can be improved

  • The report from the nonpartisan state agency laid out several inconsistencies in the administration of election law

  • A total of 30 recommendations were given to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, and 18 possible legal changes were offered for lawmaker consideration

  • Due to scheduling issues, the Wisconsin Election Commission was unable to meet to review the report until Dec. 1

WEC plans to meet virtually at 8 a.m. on Wednesday to discuss those recommendations for the first time.

There are 30 recommendations in the report, including consideration of establishing a rule as to whether local clerks are allowed to fill in missing information on absentee ballots and if ballot drop boxes are allowed, which would ultimately need legislative approval.

Lawmakers on the Joint Legislative Audit Committee ask questions of state auditors during a hearing held on Nov. 9.

Earlier this month, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee took a deeper dive into the report and discussed the 18 possible changes recommended for lawmaker consideration.

While there hasn't been a formal response to the audit from WEC yet, Administrator Meagan Wolfe did appear before lawmakers earlier this month and raised concerns about the report. Wolfe told lawmakers there were factual errors in the report that WEC did not get to address because they were not allowed to review the audit ahead of its release.

Elections Administration by Anthony DaBruzzi on Scribd

Another possible topic of debate could be the guidance WEC issued last year that recommended local election officials not to use special voting deputies due to the pandemic. The Racine County Sheriff is accusing the commission of breaking the law and has recommended charges for five of the six election commissioners.

So far, the district attorney in Racine County has not taken any action on the recommended charges.