Gableman Report Released

Following what was likely the final Assembly floor session of 2022, the number of committee meetings has fallen significantly, although several Senate committees met in preparation for a possible floor session next week.  That said, a few Assembly committees also met, including the Ways and Means committee, on which I serve.

The big news this week, of course, was the release of former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman's latest interim report on the Wisconsin elections system.  Justice Gableman testified before the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections on March 1.

The report presents Justice Gableman's findings on several issues, including the the Center for Tech and Civic Life's inappropriate interference with elections administration in Wisconsin's largest cities, the use of drop boxes for ballots, and the Wisconsin Elections Commission's flawed guidance to local clerks on a number of subjects.  Justice Gableman provides a number of recommendations to the Legislature, the Elections Commission, and local clerks.  The report concludes with a discussion about decertification of Wisconsin's presidential electors, and although his conclusions about the legality of that process contradict the analysis of the nonpartisan Legislative Council, which advises the Legislature on legal matters, Justice Gableman acknowledges that decertification "would not, on its own, have any other legal consequence under state or federal law.  It would not, for example, change who the current President is."

All in all, it was a very interesting report, and while the Legislature is unlikely to take up Justice Gableman's recommendations during what little remains of the current legislative session, I will continue to work with my colleagues to develop future legislation to improve voters' confidence in Wisconsin's elections system.

Supreme Court Issues Map Decision

On March 3, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued its decision on the competing congressional and legislative maps for the 2022 election and beyond.  In a 4-3 decision, the Court adopted the maps proposed by Governor Evers, which it determined changes the current maps the least.  (Note that the maps the Governor proposed as part of this litigation are not the maps his People's Maps Commission drew last year.)

If the Court's decision stands - there is the possibility of further action in the federal courts - it appears that the 75th Assembly District will lose the Town of Bass Lake in Washburn County and add the Village of Ridgeland and the Towns of Sand Creek, Sheridan, and Wilson in Dunn County.  At the congressional level, the 75th District will continue to be split between the 3rd Congressional District (Dunn County) and the 7th Congressional District (everything else).