This week's survey

Welcome back to my regular weekly e-updates. It is great to be back.  It is an honor to serve as your voice in the Wisconsin State Assembly and fight for you and your family. Since June, I have been unable to send you regular updates due to a state law prohibiting such communication during election season. Now that Election Day has passed, I can start sharing important information with you again on issues of paramount importance to our state. 

My weekly e-update surveys have become immensely popular with readers and are a great way for me to better understand the issues of greatest importance to you, my constituents. Please consider answering my weekly survey questions; they help me to better represent you and your interests. 

COVID-19 is continuing to spread rampantly in our communities. As such, I encourage everyone to use as much caution as possible to avoid further exacerbating the spreading of this disease. As always, please remember to abide by the following CDC guidelines:

• Stay home if you are sick
• Wear a facemask
• Avoid unnecessary travel
• Wash your hands
• Self-quarantine and get tested if you think you have contracted COVID-19

Many have asked me what the legislature has been doing to address the current COVID-19 public health emergency. While I have supported and continue to support a strong effort to control the spread of this devastating virus, I have fought to protect our system of checks and balances in government. We must work together to address this crisis. 

This week, Assembly Republicans unveiled policy initiatives to help address the COVID-19 surge. The package of ideas includes building a robust testing system; doubling the number of contact tracers; assisting the healthcare industry; ensuring an efficient distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine; requiring Unemployment Insurance reform and assisting small businesses. Our goal is to find a consensus so the legislature can act on a bipartisan package in order to better utilize the CARES Act funding that expires at the end of 2020.

I am interested in your thoughts regarding the steps the legislature can take to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Please, take a minute to answer this week's survey question regarding legislative solutions for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here for my survey

Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections

In the coming weeks, the Wisconsin State Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections will be holding the first in a series of public hearings to oversee administration of the 2020 general election. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos announced that he was directing the committee to use its investigatory and subpoena powers under Wis Stat. 13.31 to immediately review how the election was administered and any election-related irregularities. 

With concerns surfacing about mail-in ballot dumps and voting irregularities, Wisconsinites deserve to know their votes were counted. Most Wisconsinites agree there should be no question as to whether the election was fair and legitimate. What is more, there must be absolute certainty that the impending recount finds any and all irregularities. I fully support the efforts of Representative Ron Tusler and the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections and stand committed to fighting any fraud or irregularities that may exist. Our country prides itself on election integrity and we must ensure our state's system stayed true to this value during this month's election.

The Assembly Committee on Elections will be meeting soon and members of the public are welcome and encouraged to watch the committee hearing live on WisconsinEye. Representative Tusler's office has been working diligently to document cases of fraud or irregularity witnessed by Wisconsinites; these issues will be explored at length by committee members. 

My office has been inundated with phone calls and emails from constituents and concerned citizens from all fifty states asking the legislature not to certify the election results or call for an audit of ballots. In reality, the Wisconsin constitution limits the legislature's role in the ballot and elector certification processes. It is imperative to denote that the legislature lacks the authority to take over the ballot-counting process, determine the winner via constitutional authority, special session, or some other mechanism.

Wisconsin law states that presidential electors are determined by the results of the popular vote [Wis. Stat. 5.01(3)(a)]. The legislature would have to change the law before it could directly appoint presidential electors. Wisconsin is one of forty-eight states that employs a "Winner-take-all" method for awarding delegates. 

The United States Constitution provides state legislatures with the authority to determine how presidential electors are appointed: "Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the number of senators or representatives to which the state may be entitled in Congress" (Article II, Section I, Clause II). 

Wisconsin law stipulates that the political party that wins a majority of the popular vote determines the Electoral College electors. To simplify, the winning candidate gets his slate of electors appointed to the Electoral College. Wisconsin statutes provide that, "A vote for the presidential and vice presidential nominations of any party is a vote for the electors of the nominees" [Wis. Stat. 8.25(1)]. Wisconsin statutes further provide that, "A vote for president and vice president named on the ballot is a vote for electors of the candidates for whom an elector's vote is cast," and statutory references to voting president and vice president means, "Votes for them through their pledged presidential electors" [Wis. Stat. 5.10; Wis. Stat. 5.64(1); and Wis. Stat. 8.25(1)].

To best protect the integrity of our elections and ensure every legal vote counts, the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections needs specific and actionable information sent to the following email address: election.complaints@legis.wi.gov. We would recommend that a complaint, concern, or allegation, would include the following:

• Specific and first-hand information regarding potential fraud/misconduct. Hearsay or news reports of non-specific events are not useful.
• Detail the incident/practice being reported (what, where, when, and who). 
• Any supporting materials that would be helpful in vetting the allegation. This could include photographs or names of witnesses.
• Contact information so the individual can be reached for clarification or additional information. If the individuals choose to remain anonymous, that is their prerogative but may limit the value of their information if it is incomplete. 

Blue Books

My office still has an abundance of 2019-2021 State of Wisconsin Blue Books. This almanac of Wisconsin politics makes a great stocking stuffer or Christmas gift. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, please click the following link. My staff and I will make it a priority to ensure that your copy arrives in a timely fashion.

New Social Media Account

In addition to Facebook and Twitter, you can now interact with me via Parler. If you use Parler, please "like" my page: @RepRobBrooks. My staff and I will make it a priority to respond to your comments, questions, or concerns, in a timely manner. 

Stay up to date

One of the best ways to date with what is happening in Madison is to sign up for the legislature's notification tracking system. This service affords you with the opportunity to track legislative activities in Madison. Upon creation of a free account, you can sign up to receive notification about specific bills of committees as well as legislative activity pertaining to a subject (i.e., health care, education, etc.).