Wisconsin Senate rejects Meagan Wolfe as top elections official

MADISON, Wis. - The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate voted Thursday to fire the state's top election official, but the attorney general has already fired off a lawsuit arguing otherwise.

The lawsuit asks the court to deem Meagan Wolfe is still lawfully holding her role as Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator. The fight comes as Wisconsin will help decide who wins the White House in 2024.

"I ask unanimous consent that the appointment of Meagan Wolfe be rejected by the Senate," said Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg).

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Wolfe has been the subject of conspiracy theories and threats from election skeptics who falsely claim she was part of a plan to rig the 2020 vote in Wisconsin, and GOP leaders cited concerns from those skeptics in justifying Thursday's 22-11 vote along party lines.

"During my 12 years as a nonpartisan election official, I've learned when politicians on either side of the aisle are upset with me, it's usually because I will not bend to the political pressure," Wolfe said. "They wanted me gone because I did not bend to political pressure."

"Fair and honest elections are the foundation of our representative democracy, and if a key component of very honest elections is that the electorate have confidence in elections," said LeMahieu. "If they don't have confidence in our elections or disenfranchising voters, they're not going to go and vote if they don't feel that their vote is not going to be stolen, or that there's fraud going on.

"The fact is Wisconsinites expressed concerns in the administration of elections both here in Wisconsin and also nationally."

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In filing the lawsuit, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said the Republican-backed vote was invalid.

"While the Senate has purported to take a vote on appointment available, there is in fact no appointment," he said. "The law is very clear that Meagan Wolfe remains the administrator of the Elections Commission."

The election administrator’s job is to implement what the state election commissioners decide. She also gives advice to more than 1,800 local election clerks across the state. That commission is made up of three Democrats and three Republicans.

Commissioners voted 3-0 in June to renominate Wolfe to a second four-year term. The three Democrat commissioners abstained from that vote, while the three Republican commissioners voted for her.

"A motion was made and the motion failed. That is true because it requires four affirmative votes of the six-member bipartisan commission to put forward a nomination in that body and the nomination only received three votes," said State Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit).

Without another nominee approved, a Supreme Court ruling on another holdover found that the person could stay until a replacement is found. The court will now answer whether the state has a top election official as the 2024 race approaches.

Meanwhile, Republicans introduced a resolution calling on the elections commission to appoint an interim administrator to replace her. Thursday, Wolfe said she's staying in her post unless the courts rule otherwise or the commissioners decide to remove her.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reaction

Gov. Tony Evers (D-Wisconsin)

"Wisconsin Republicans’ attempt to illegally fire Wisconsin’s elections administrator without cause today shows they are continuing to escalate efforts to sow distrust and disinformation about our elections, denigrate our clerks, poll workers, and election administrators, and undermine basic tenets of our democracy, including the peaceful transfer of power.

"Just days after Republicans announced they want Legislature-picked, Legislature-approved map drawers to conduct redistricting, Republicans today demonstrated why they cannot be trusted with that important responsibility—because they will threaten, intimidate, punish, and even attempt to illegally fire anyone who stands in the way of their relentless pursuit to retain political power.

"Our chief election administrator is a consummate, qualified professional who’s worked in voter registration and outreach and election security for more than a decade—experience that I have no doubt was among the reasons she was unanimously confirmed by many of these same Republicans just a few years ago.

"I’m requesting the Wisconsin Department of Justice provide immediate representation to defend Ms. Wolfe so she can remain in this important role."

Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Cedarburg)

"Today, Senate Republicans voted to rollback Governor Evers’ rejection of the largest tax cut in state history and also repeal his 400-year property tax increase. Evers’ partial budget vetoes made it abundantly clear that he will do everything in his power to keep your money so he can spend it as he sees fit. That’s just wrong. Unsurprisingly, not a single Democrat voted to give their constituents meaningful tax relief as Wisconsinites continue to face inflationary pressures.

"Additionally, I joined my Republican colleagues in voting to override Evers’ failure to protect consumers from arbitrary local government intervention into the future through his veto of Senate Bill 49. It’s concerning this veto was made after states like California, New York and Washington banned natural gas connections like ranges. If SB 49 doesn’t become law, Evers and his radical friends will be able to join other liberal states in their efforts to restrict consumer choice.

"I gladly voted against Meagan Wolfe’s confirmation on the floor today. Wisconsinites have concerns with election integrity, and Meagan Wolfe has lost the trust of many Wisconsinites due to her efforts to skirt the rule of law. Meagan Wolfe had the opportunity to defend her position as WEC Administrator, but could not even take the time to show up to her hearing. I called for Meagan Wolfe’s resignation back in 2021, and it still holds true today."

Senate Democratic Leader Melissa Agard (D-Madison) 

"The Wisconsin State Senate cannot entertain a confirmation for an appointment that is not properly before them. Yet, today, they voted to reject the confirmation of Meagan Wolfe as the Administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The actions taken today are illegitimate and Meagan Wolfe should continue to serve in her current position. 

"Meagan Wolfe was previously unanimously confirmed by the State Senate in 2019, and she is well-regarded and trusted by election officials across the nation. Meagan Wolfe played an integral role in the administration of elections throughout the duration of a global pandemic and she continues to ensure that Wisconsin’s elections remain free, fair, and secure.

"Legislative Republicans continue to sow mistrust in our democratic process by uplifting Donald Trump’s Big Lie. The GOP’s actions today align with their decade-long crusade of undermining Wisconsin’s sacred democratic ways and engaging in a series of power-grabs to cement their rule. 

"My Democratic colleagues and I will continue to speak truth to power. We honor the voices of ordinary Wisconsinites and will work tirelessly to ensure their choices and values are reflected by the people who represent them."

Senator Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick)

"Republicans became ‘law-takers’ today by illegally voting to reject a nomination that wasn’t legally before the Senate in the first place. The resolution they passed usurps the authority of the Wisconsin Elections Committee.  Saying or doing something illegally doesn’t make it legal. As your parents may have told you, just saying something doesn’t make it so.

"Today marks another chapter of Republicans’ desperate attempts to cling to power. If they just did what the public sent them here to do, they wouldn’t have to cheat with gerrymandered maps, illegally intervene in our elections watchdog agency and threaten to impeach a wildly popular Supreme Court Justice who hasn’t even ruled on a case yet."