Posted on Sep 1, 2022
Republican candidate for secretary of state wants control of Wisconsin elections but won't...
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https://www.marketwatch.com/story/republican-candidate-for-secretary-of-state-wants-control-of-wisconsin-elections-but-wont-specify-whether-that-extends-to-determining-outcomes [login to see] 6
The Republican secretary of state hopeful in Wisconsin wants lawmakers to hand the office control over elections, but she won’t say how much authority she wants or whether her duties should include unilaterally certifying presidential winners in the key battleground state.
Amy Loudenbeck, a state representative from south-central Wisconsin, wants to unseat long-time Democratic incumbent Doug La Follette in November. The legislature has spent the last few decades stripping La Follette of almost all his responsibilities. Loudenbeck wants to restore some of them, including taking over election oversight from a bipartisan commission.
Republicans who control Wisconsin’s legislature passed bills this year making it more difficult to vote absentee and imposing restrictions on election administration, only to have Democratic Gov. Tony Evers veto them. In an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, Loudenbeck repeatedly declined to explain how much control over elections she wants or how she thinks elections should be administered, saying Republicans who control the legislature would decide what responsibilities to give her.
“This isn’t a power grab,” Loudenbeck said. “The legislature should explore a wide range of policy options to utilize this constitutional office that is directly accountable to voters and look at what other states are doing and talk about restoring some traditional responsibilities, including election oversight, if appropriate, to the office.”
La Follette, the secretary of state since 1983, said Loudenbeck is “trying to be cleverly vague.”
The Republican secretary of state hopeful in Wisconsin wants lawmakers to hand the office control over elections, but she won’t say how much authority she wants or whether her duties should include unilaterally certifying presidential winners in the key battleground state.
Amy Loudenbeck, a state representative from south-central Wisconsin, wants to unseat long-time Democratic incumbent Doug La Follette in November. The legislature has spent the last few decades stripping La Follette of almost all his responsibilities. Loudenbeck wants to restore some of them, including taking over election oversight from a bipartisan commission.
Republicans who control Wisconsin’s legislature passed bills this year making it more difficult to vote absentee and imposing restrictions on election administration, only to have Democratic Gov. Tony Evers veto them. In an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, Loudenbeck repeatedly declined to explain how much control over elections she wants or how she thinks elections should be administered, saying Republicans who control the legislature would decide what responsibilities to give her.
“This isn’t a power grab,” Loudenbeck said. “The legislature should explore a wide range of policy options to utilize this constitutional office that is directly accountable to voters and look at what other states are doing and talk about restoring some traditional responsibilities, including election oversight, if appropriate, to the office.”
La Follette, the secretary of state since 1983, said Loudenbeck is “trying to be cleverly vague.”
Republican candidate for secretary of state wants control of Wisconsin elections but won't...
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Democrats fear that if Loudenbeck becomes secretary of state in Wisconsin she would certify that Trump or another Republican candidate has won the state in 2024, regardless of the actual result. She told the AP she would reject a call from Trump or any other Republican candidate asking her to tip the scales in the GOP’s favor.
“If clerks and all the poll workers are following the law, there shouldn’t be any question at the end,” she said. “If people think that individuals were illegally casting ballots, then they should go to their sheriff or their [district attorney] or their clerk and figure that out. You can’t just find more ballots.”
A lot would have to happen before Loudenbeck would find herself in position to affect the outcome of an election.
She would have to defeat La Follette, who crushed his Democratic primary opponent despite spending almost no money on the race and taking an African safari in the middle of the campaign.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos would have to allow GOP lawmakers to shift considerable election duties to Loudenbeck. Vos has said he supports the commission and opposes giving the secretary of state election powers.
And Michels would have to defeat Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, putting himself in position to sign oversight legislation into law. Michels has said he wants to revamp the elections commission with members from the state’s eight congressional districts.
Loudenbeck said she would try to persuade Vos to give the office election responsibilities — even though she wouldn’t say what they should be — by convincing him that the election commission is a “failed experiment” and an elected official accountable to the people should run the polls.
See: Trump-endorsed candidate for governor in Wisconsin omits former president’s name in first ad of pivot to general-election campaign"
..."Democrats fear that if Loudenbeck becomes secretary of state in Wisconsin she would certify that Trump or another Republican candidate has won the state in 2024, regardless of the actual result. She told the AP she would reject a call from Trump or any other Republican candidate asking her to tip the scales in the GOP’s favor.
“If clerks and all the poll workers are following the law, there shouldn’t be any question at the end,” she said. “If people think that individuals were illegally casting ballots, then they should go to their sheriff or their [district attorney] or their clerk and figure that out. You can’t just find more ballots.”
A lot would have to happen before Loudenbeck would find herself in position to affect the outcome of an election.
She would have to defeat La Follette, who crushed his Democratic primary opponent despite spending almost no money on the race and taking an African safari in the middle of the campaign.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos would have to allow GOP lawmakers to shift considerable election duties to Loudenbeck. Vos has said he supports the commission and opposes giving the secretary of state election powers.
And Michels would have to defeat Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, putting himself in position to sign oversight legislation into law. Michels has said he wants to revamp the elections commission with members from the state’s eight congressional districts.
Loudenbeck said she would try to persuade Vos to give the office election responsibilities — even though she wouldn’t say what they should be — by convincing him that the election commission is a “failed experiment” and an elected official accountable to the people should run the polls.
See: Trump-endorsed candidate for governor in Wisconsin omits former president’s name in first ad of pivot to general-election campaign"
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
SGT (Join to see) If She Takes Over as Secretary of State of Wisconsin, I Fear Fascism will come to Take Over and Control Wisconsin!
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