MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Election officials in battleground Wisconsin hope to revive a bipartisan plan they say is critical to rebuilding confidence in elections but that was killed last week by Republicans without debate.
The state’s chief elections official said a new division designed to handle voters’ concerns and deal with an onslaught of records requests and complaints was “exactly what Wisconsin needs” and of critical importance.
The Legislature’s Republican-controlled budget-writing committee rejected the commission’s request along with more than 500 other spending proposals from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in a single vote last Tuesday.
The move is contrary to other battleground states that are taking steps to invest in trust in elections ahead of the 2024 presidential race.
“I certainly hope it comes back,” said Don Millis, the Republican chair of the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission, which proposed the plan. “There are things we can do to improve confidence, and that’s where this inspector general office comes in.”
Millis said he intended to ask lawmakers whether the plan could be revived as a bill, but the head of the Assembly elections committee told The Associated Press he’s already looking elsewhere for ways to build trust in elections.
“I think it makes more sense for the municipalities to be in charge of their decision making and problem solving,” Republican Rep. Scott Krug said. Krug said lawmakers are working on plans to fund grants for local...
Images of the Whitegate fuel protests earlier this month were altered to make it appear gardaí were violent towards protesters. The AI-doctored images were shared widely online, including by inter...