Wisconsin election officials want to revive 'critical' plan
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.”
https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-election-inspector-general-office-republican-083e30060da50e91cc5a0ccb03430cea