The Wisconsin Elections Commission did not name a new administrator after Tuesday night’s meeting.
That’s because Democrats on the commission abstained from the vote, citing a recent state supreme court decision that allowed a Republican appointee to sit on the Natural Resources Board past the time of his appointment.
Democrat Commissioner Mark Thomsen says the law is clear. “If there isn’t a vacancy, we don’t have the right to reappoint. The law is clear that the currently confirmed administrator remains in that post.”
Republicans on the commission say not naming a new administrator is a bad look, and that the commission ought to have sent current Administrator Meagan Wolfe to the Senate for confirmation. Wolfe has been criticized by conservatives for her handling of the 2020 presidential election, which Joe Biden won.