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WEC Appeals Process Law Vetoed
There are a lot of lawmakers at the Wisconsin Capitol who are angry about Gov. Tony Evers’ Friday vetoes, but perhaps none are angrier than Sen. Van Wanggaard.
Wanggaard, R-Racine, on Friday blasted the governor for vetoing a plan that would have spelled-out a workable appeals process to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
“The Elections Commission [has ruled] you had to have suffered a ‘legally recognized harm.’ Because of the decision in Brown v WEC, it is now virtually impossible to appeal a decision of WEC,” Wanggaard explained.
He said the governor’s veto “puts WEC above the law.”
That case, Brown, dealt with Racine Mobile Voting Van. A Racine County judge originally ruled that Racine’s city clerk broke the law by using Mark Zuckerberg-funded dollars to buy a van, and collect ballots at polling places across the city.
Former Racine County GOP boss Ken Brown filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Elections Commission about the van, but the commission dismissed his case.
He then sued in 2022, claiming the Racine clerk’s actions were not only illegal, but diluted his vote by collecting ballots that might not have been turned-in otherwise.
The liberal-majority Wisconsin Supreme Court, however, tossed the case in February of this year claiming Brown didn’t prove that his vote was “harmed.”
Wanggaard’s legislation would have clarified state law, and given voters a chance to appeal decisions from the Elections Commission without having to prove harm, or go to court. Now, voters, he said don’t have that option.
“Think someone is breaking an election law, complain to the Elections Commission and lose? You’re out of luck, unless you happen to be the losing candidate in the election. And then the complaint would be moot,” Wanggaard explained. “Think a polling place isn’t ADA-compliant and WEC disagrees? Unless and until you are literally denied the ability to vote, you can’t appeal. So, the little guy gets screwed again.”
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