For Immediate Release
October 8, 2015
Contact: 262.393.1618
The GAB needs reform, but this is not the right way
On Wednesday State Senator Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa) and State Representative Dean Knudson (R-Hudson) introduced a bill that would effectively return Wisconsin to the State Elections and Ethics Boards in which the Government Accountability Board (GAB) was meant to replace.
For 40 years we have tried using political appointees to run our elections with the latest attempt calling itself "non-partisan" due to its use of retired judges. Now we have legislators willing to say that the GAB needs to be replaced due to its "hyper-partisan" nature but they are planning to do so with more political appointees. This has proven to be a failed strategy, it is time to reevaluate what works.
Here in Wisconsin, 71 of 72 counties elect our Chief Elections Officer, the person solely responsible for oversight and duties related to our elections, this partisan elected official is none other than our County Clerk. They hire staff that serves at the will of the office to ensure that our elections are not only handled properly but fairly. We as voters have the ability to elect, reelect and, if need be, recall this person from office if they fail in their mission or they begin to bias our elections process.
Thirty-nine (39) States elect their State Elections officer and up until 1974 we did so as well here in Wisconsin.
Legislators need to scrap the current bill and consider returning the power of our elections to the hands of the people of Wisconsin. No longer should the Speaker of the Assembly have to publicly ask for the resignation of our Chief Elections Officer when we could simple vote him out of office.
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Restoring Wisconsin is a group devoted to returning duties to the elected offices of State Treasurer and Secretary of State in order to provide real transparency and tax savings to the voters and taxpayers of Wisconsin.