MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) is set to decide the future of its administrator, Meagan Wolfe, with a vote on her reappointment scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

Wolfe, who was first appointed to the role in February 2018, was unanimously confirmed to a four-year term by the GOP-controlled state Senate in May 2019.

What You Need To Know

  • The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) will decide whether to reappoint Administrator Meagan Wolfe to her role during a special meeting Tuesday
  • Wolfe would need a majority vote from the commission's six members, as well as confirmation from the state Senate
  • In February of 2018, Wolfe was appointed to the position and eventually confirmed by the Senate to a four-year term in May 2019

Battling the spread of misinformation in the wake of the 2020 election, Wolfe will face several hurdles, some bigger than others, to successfully be reappointed to another four-year term set to expire July 1, 2027.

First, Wolfe would need approval from a majority of the commission itself, which is made up of six appointed members—three Democrats and three Republicans.

If Wolfe were to be reappointed by the commission, she would also face confirmation from the state Senate again, which could prove tough for her. Wolfe would need at least 17 votes from the chamber to be approved. WisPolitics has reported that Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said it is unlikely for Wolfe to meet that threshold due to her “mismanagement” of the 2020 election.

Wolfe seems to have anticipated the pushback as WEC released a letter Saturday, accompanied by a six-page addendum, which she sent to lawmakers and members of the commission, to refute and debunk some of the false claims made about the 2020 election.

“It would be irresponsible of me to allow such claims to continue to circulate unchecked,” Wolfe stated in the letter. “It has been nearly three years since the November 2020 General Election, and yet election officials are still forced to dedicate significant resources to correcting falsehoods about the integrity of the 2020 election cycle.”

Administrator Wolfe Letter to Legislators by Anthony DaBruzzi on Scribd

The attached addendum provided a fact check on several claims made about WEC, including:

  • Who maintains Wisconsin voter registration lists
  • Why Wisconsin participates in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC)
  • What decisions the commission, not the administrator, has made regarding nursing home voting, expanded use of ballot drop boxes in 2020, private grant money to municipalities, and the correction of missing information on absentee ballot envelopes

If Wolfe were not reappointed Tuesday to her post as administrator, there is some uncertainty about what would happen next.

If 45 days go by with a vacancy for the position, the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization (JCLO) would appoint an interim administrator to serve until a permanent one is confirmed by the Senate. The person selected to temporarily serve could do so for up to a year and would be a Republican pick since the GOP has majorities in both chambers and therefore leads the legislative committees. However, “Appointment of an Interim Administrator” is also included on WEC’s agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.

Though there isn’t exactly a known short list of names who could fill the role, either temporarily or permanently, if necessary, in a twist—some argue it could be Wolfe herself.

A recent ruling from the Wisconsin Supreme Court allowed an appointee of former Gov. Scott Walker’s administration to continue to serve on the state’s Natural Resources Board until his successor was confirmed.

Some believe, using that precedence, Wolfe could stay in her role if the commission were to deadlock 3-3 over her reappointment because there would not technically be a vacancy for JCLO to fill if Wolfe’s fate were to be stuck in procedural limbo.

WEC is scheduled to hold its special meeting at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. You can watch the meeting here.

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