MADISON, Wis. (Washington Insider Magazine) – The Wisconsin Elections Commission temporarily halted appointing a new chairman on Tuesday after a Republican official who could have contested for the position stepped down, claiming that the state GOP does not want him to lead the commission since he believes Joe Biden won the election fairly.
According to ABC NEWS, Dean Knudson informed the commission in his parting speech that Republican members have labeled him a “RINO,” or Republican In Name Only, a derogatory phrase Republicans use to refer to party members who they believe aren’t conservative enough.
Despite the fact that repeated recounts and court judgements have revealed no massive fraud and that Biden beat Trump by approximately 21,000 votes in Wisconsin, Knudson thinks the GOP has “falsely peddled” conspiracy theories claiming Biden somehow took the state from Trump.
Three Republicans and three Democrats make up the commission. Every 2 years, the chairmanship is rotated between the parties. This year is the turn of the Republicans to lead the country.
Only Knudson and Republican commissioner Bob Spindell are qualified for the position, according to state law. Spindell has been outspoken in his support for the position.
Despite Trump’s loss in Wisconsin, Spindell was one of ten Republicans who voted for him in the Electoral College. Last week, he as well as the other fake GOP members were sued.
The next chair will take office in November and in the run-up to the 2024 presidential race in Wisconsin, which is a battleground state. The chair is required by state law to authorize the vote canvass after elections and to certify the results. The chair also determines the commission’s agenda and has some say in how questions are phrased, a significant power on a panel that is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
Knudson urged that the commission wait until Assembly Speaker Robin Vos chooses his successor before voting. Despite Spindell’s pleas, the panel voted 5-1 to delay the competition until its June 10 session. The sole commissioner who ruled against the proposal was Spindell.
Amidst the commission’s observations that the 2020 election was free of voting fraud, Republicans have chastised it for a number of choices made in the run-up to the election, along with not sending special voting officers into care facilities to assist inhabitants with absentee votes while the COVID-19 pandemic was erupting and continuing to expand the usage of ballot drop boxes.
The four Republican contenders for governor all demand the commission to be abolished. Tim Michels, the last skeptic, first stated that he wanted to maintain the commission but reform its operations, but on Wednesday he switched his position and stated that the institution should be abolished. The 3 Republican contenders for secretary of state want the office to take up election control from the commission.
Spindell has stated he favors keeping the commission in operation, but in a speech Tuesday evening, he said that he would support a Republican secretary of state taking over election control.
He claims that no one knows what the commission does, and that many Wisconsin people are still unsure whether the board’s choices in the run-up to the 2020 election were constitutional.
