Yearly Archives: 2024

(The Center Square) – The Republican who led the first investigation into Wisconsin’s 2020 election says she does not trust the effort to count the state’s absentee ballots early because she doesn’t trust election officials in Milwaukee.

State Rep. Janel Brandtken told The Center Square there are serious security concerns with the Monday Count plan moving ahead at the Wisconsin Capitol.

“I get the concept, but Milwaukee has not been a trustworthy partner in elections as I have witnessed in recount, and central count elections,” Brandtjen said.

Brandtjen said her experience with former Milwaukee Elections Commission Director Kim Zapata adds to her distrust.

Zapata sent Brandtjen three military ballots ahead of the 2022 election. Zapata said she did so to expose a loophole in Wisconsin’s military ballot law. Brandtjen said she’s not so sure.

“FYI if her VPN hadn't failed we would have never known who had sent the ballots, and I would have been under suspicion,” Brandtjen said.

The Monday County legislation would allow any city or county that uses a central count location to count its absentee ballots on the Monday before Election Day. Currently they are counted after all the other votes are counted, usually around midnight.

Supporters say allowing for an early count will avoid an overnight vote dump and help restore more faith in Wisconsin’s electoral process.

Brandtjen is worried about the potential for election chaos or voter fraud.

“Most of the states [that count ballots early] either stop registrations 29 days before, or don't have same day registrations on Election Day,” Brandtjen said. “If you know the totals, you can same-day-register individuals to make up the difference. And since there is no real time verification of IDs on Election Day, people get ballots before they are verified.”

She is also worried about the costs of an early count, namely that it requires local election clerks to prepare to open the polls and count ballots on the same day.

And Brandtjen said she has some pretty serious security fears.

“My most concerning issue is the lack of security protocols. The legislation refers to using ‘tamper evident seals’, in a double locked location, locked cabinet inside a locked office. How would you put a speed counter in a cabinet, inside an office? This means the authors believe the memory sticks are to be removed from Milwaukee’s speed counters (ballot tabulators) that would put all election results at risk,” Brandtjen said. “Removing the memory sticks is not protocol for secure elections.”

The State Assembly approved the Monday Count plan back in November. Gov. Tony Evers has said he will likely sign it if it makes it to his desk.

(The Center Square) – It took less than 10 minutes to set Wisconsin’s presidential primary ballot.

The state’s Presidential Preference Selection Committee met in Madison on Tuesday to select the candidates who may appear on the April 2 ballot.

Republicans nominated former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswammy.

Democrats nominated only President Biden.

Wisconsin’s law allows the Selection Committee to recognize “the names of all candidates whose candidacy is generally advocated or recognized in the national news media throughout the United States on the ballot, and may, in addition, place the names of other candidates on the ballot."

The hearing was largely perfunctory, with committee members answering the roll and making formal motions for most of the seven minutes they met.

None of the Democrats at Tuesday’s meeting objected to former President Trump’s name being placed on the ballot.

The Selection Committee’s meeting came just a few days after the Wisconsin Elections Commission dismissed a 14th Amendment challenge to the former president.

The Elections Commission said that challenge was improperly filed, commissioners did not weigh-in on the merits of the case.

The man who filed that challenge, Minocqua Brewing Co. owner and progressive political activist Kirk Bangstad, has promised to take his case to the courts.

Bangstad last week said he intends to appeal the Elections Commission’s decision in Madison, “where there are very smart judges," he said.

Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid twin scandals over plagiarism accusations and a widely panned appearance before Congress.

Gay wrote in her resignation letter that she was the victim of "personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus."

The full letter reads as follows:

Dear Members of the Harvard Community,

It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president. This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries. But, after consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.

It is a singular honor to be a member of this university, which has been my home and my inspiration for most of my professional career. My deep sense of connection to Harvard and its people has made it all the more painful to witness the tensions and divisions that have riven our community in recent months, weakening the bonds of trust and reciprocity that should be our sources of strength and support in times of crisis. Amidst all of this, it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor—two bedrock values that are fundamental to who I am—and frightening to be subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus.

I believe in the people of Harvard because I see in you the possibility and the promise of a better future. These last weeks have helped make clear the work we need to do to build that future—to combat bias and hate in all its forms, to create a learning environment in which we respect each other’s dignity and treat one another with compassion, and to affirm our enduring commitment to open inquiry and free expression in the pursuit of truth. I believe we have within us all that we need to heal from this period of tension and division and to emerge stronger. I had hoped with all my heart to lead us on that journey, in partnership with all of you. As I now return to the faculty, and to the scholarship and teaching that are the lifeblood of what we do, I pledge to continue working alongside you to build the community we all deserve.

When I became president, I considered myself particularly blessed by the opportunity to serve people from around the world who saw in my presidency a vision of Harvard that affirmed their sense of belonging—their sense that Harvard welcomes people of talent and promise, from every background imaginable, to learn from and grow with one another. To all of you, please know that those doors remain open, and Harvard will be stronger and better because they do.

As we welcome a new year and a new semester, I hope we can all look forward to brighter days. Sad as I am to be sending this message, my hopes for Harvard remain undimmed. When my brief presidency is remembered, I hope it will be seen as a moment of reawakening to the importance of striving to find our common humanity—and of not allowing rancor and vituperation to undermine the vital process of education. I trust we will all find ways, in this time of intense challenge and controversy, to recommit ourselves to the excellence, the openness, and the independence that are crucial to what our university stands for—and to our capacity to serve the world.

Sincerely,

Claudine Gay