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Shouting Match Takes Place During WEC Hearing
What was supposed to be an update on the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s investigation into Madison’s missing absentee ballots instead devolved into a screaming match.
Elections Commission chairwoman Ann Jacobs at one point threatened to “eject” Republican commissioner Bob Spindell from Thursday’s meeting because he would not stop asking about election problems in the city of Milwaukee.
“I am not going to let you keep going, Bob, I'm going to talk over you until you stop. You must stop. You are out of order, and I will eject you from this meeting!” Jacobs shouted. “Do you understand the words I am saying, they are simple. You are out of order!”
Spindell asked if Jacobs intended to “muzzle” him.
The shouting match came as Jacobs said she, and Commissioner Don Mills, have finished deposing now-former Madison clerk Marybeth Witzel-Behl.
Witzel-Behl resigned earlier this week, apparently after her deposition to Jacobs. Witzel-Behl had been on paid leave from the city of Madison since late March as both the Elections Commission and the city investigated how she and her election crew lost nearly 200 absentee ballots during the November election.
The two investigations into the missing ballots remain on-going, and Jacobs did not say what she learned from her deposition with Witzel-Behl.
Mills, for his part, wanted to talk about the ballot shortage in the city of Milwaukee during the April election.
Nearly 40% of Milwaukee’s polling places ran short on ballots earlier this month. Nine of them ran out of ballots completely.
It’s not clear if the Elections Commission will take-up Mills’ calls for an investigation into Milwaukee’s voting operation at a future meeting.
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