Judge James Morrison issued a restraining order last Friday on the Wisconsin Elections Commission, temporarily halting the regulator from mandating the use of legally questionable absentee ballot envelopes by the state’s approximately 1,900 election clerks while the court deliberates on the complaint's merits.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of a Wisconsin voter by attorneys Kevin Scott and Daniel Eastman, contends that the elections commission puts Wisconsin voters in a difficult position of either committing election fraud or forgoing casting an absentee ballot.
According to the complaint, the commission violated Wisconsin election law by approving new ballot envelopes suggested by WEC staff. These envelopes would lead voters to falsely certify that the ballot envelope itself is either an original or a copy of the ballot request generated through MyVote, the state’s online portal for requesting absentee ballots.
“WEC created a situation where people who requested absentee ballots through MyVote were either committing election fraud by making a false statement in conjunction with voting a ballot, or were forced to not vote absentee — a Hobson’s choice,” Attorney Kevin Scott explained to The Federalist.
“Not only does it put the state in a difficult legal position, WEC’s ‘fix’ to its ballot request problems diminishes election security by weakening the ballot chain of custody for absentee ballots,” State Rep. Janel Brandtjen stated.
Brandtjen is once again pushing for the removal of Meagan Wolfe, the controversial Administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), and advocating for the dissolution of an agency that has struggled to adhere to Wisconsin election law throughout its tumultuous existence.
Last December, a group of lawmakers proposed a bill to dissolve WEC and transfer election administration responsibilities to the secretary of state’s office, currently held by Sarah Godlewski, a Democrat appointed by Governor Tony Evers.
Efforts to oust Wolfe from her position, including an impeachment campaign that lost momentum, have been unsuccessful. Wolfe has remained in her role since last autumn, despite attempts by the Republican-controlled legislature to dismiss her.
The ongoing litigation concerning the ballot envelopes is just the latest in a series of complaints against both the dysfunctional elections commission and Wolfe herself.
The Swing-state is anticipated to play a pivotal role in deciding the next presidential election.
