MADISON, Wis. — Senate Republicans have moved forward with the confirmation process that could leave the state’s top elections official out of a job.
Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) Administrator Meagan Wolfe had unanimous support when she was first confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate in 2019. However, that does not appear to be the case this time, with the 2024 presidential election on the horizon.
Wolfe did not testify at Tuesday’s public hearing. While she had previously asked commissioners to weigh in on how she should proceed, members of WEC declined to take a vote. Ultimately, Wolfe decided to cite a letter from Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, which stated that lawmakers lack the power to force a vote on firing her.
From drop boxes to so-called ballot curing, those with concerns brought them to the Capitol Tuesday morning ahead of the public hearing.
“We are here today to show you the reasons why we believe we need a new elections administrator,” Jefferson Davis of Menomonee Falls, who has been a vocal critic of the 2020 election, said. “The clerks were directed, by the Wisconsin Elections Commission and the administrator, if the ballot envelopes are missing statutory required information, that’s okay.”
Wolfe’s job is nonpartisan, and her role is to carry out the decisions made by a group of bipartisan commissioners. Some of WEC’s guidance has since been deemed illegal by the courts. As such, Wolfe has been the target of criticism and several false claims over how she administered the 2020 election.
Senate Democrats tried to stop the committee from considering Wolfe’s confirmation Tuesday. The move came after WEC Democrats previously abstained from voting to nominate Wolfe with the hopes they could avoid a confirmation vote altogether and allow her to serve indefinitely based on a previous state Supreme Court ruling.
“This committee cannot take up a nomination that has not been made, and so I make a point of order that this nomination is not properly before us,” State Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, said.
With WEC deadlocked, Wolfe’s nomination failed 3-0. Democrats have since argued that Wolfe fell short of the minimum four votes needed from WEC commissioners to advance her to the Senate for approval and that the expiration of her term does not create a vacancy. Unless she is removed from her position, they believe she does not need to be confirmed again.
Republicans, however, have been steadfast in pressing on with the confirmation process and argue that the Democrats on the commission who abstained from voting could have voted “no” on the reappointment of Wolfe, but they chose not to.
“We are acting on [Senate Resolution] 3, which was passed through the Senate, on the Senate floor, and that is the process that we will follow, which leads to this public hearing,” State Sen. Daniel Knodl, R-Germantown, said in response to the objections raised.
With a chance to weigh in Tuesday, other election officials came to the defense of Wolfe and commended her with the hopes of avoiding legal limbo ahead of next year’s election.
“We need strong leadership and Meagan has proven that with her guidance, her questions, being accessible when we need her to help make decisions, to help make sure we are doing elections correctly,” Rock County Clerk Lisa Tollefson explained to lawmakers.
After Tuesday’s public hearing, the Senate committee will vote on whether to recommend Wolfe for reappointment. Based on the typical process, Wolfe should then advance to the full Senate for a floor vote, which could happen as early as next month.