Dozens of elections officials backing Wisconsin administrator targeted by Republicans

Election officials across the country are expressing support for Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe as she faces criticism from state Republicans over election-related decisions made by the commission last year.

In a letter to Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R), a group of more than 50 election officials from both parties attributed the success of Wisconsin’s elections to Wolfe’s leadership. 

“Year after year, Wisconsin election officials deliver accurate, secure, and accessible elections that give voice to the citizens of the state,” the letter, which was organized by the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research, reads.

“Much of the success of Wisconsin’s elections is due to the competence and excellence of the person who was chosen to lead the agency, Meagan Wolfe.”

Wolfe and the Wisconsin Elections Commission have come under fire from GOP state lawmakers in recent years amid a handful of allegations of voter fraud in Racine County and a report by the state Legislative Audit Bureau that offered recommendations on how to improve the way elections are run in the state.

That report found no evidence of widespread fraud or malfeasance in the 2020 election. 

Vos called for Wolfe’s resignation last month, while Republicans in the state Senate approved a resolution on Monday reprimanding the Wisconsin Elections Commission “for ignoring statutory requirements, for sidestepping the administrative rulemaking process, and for not following both the letter and intent of state statute.” 

Throughout the 2020 election cycle, the state Elections Commission offered guidance to local officials on how to handle the voting process amid the coronavirus pandemic. Those recommendations included advice on managing the surge in absentee ballots and the use of ballot drop boxes. 

President Biden narrowly carried Wisconsin in the 2020 election. Former President Trump has continued to allege without evidence that widespread voter fraud and systemic irregularities in Wisconsin and other states robbed him of a second term in the White House.