Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023
Did Wisconsin’s elections administrator allow “illegal drop boxes”?
An ad falsely claimed that Wisconsin elections administrator Meagan Wolfe allowed “illegal drop boxes.”
The TV, radio and newspaper ad threatens to oust Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos from his Racine County Assembly seat unless he allows impeachment proceedings against Wolfe.
The ad is from a new group of Racine County citizens calling itself Wisconsin Election Committee, WisPolitics reported.
Drop boxes, where voters could deposit absentee ballots, were used widely in the 2020 election amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Wolfe wrote two memos saying drop boxes could be used, but no one challenged the advice at the time.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a 2020 presidential election challenge from House Republicans that argued the drop boxes were illegal.
After a conservative law firm challenged the drop boxes in 2021, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in July 2022 they are illegal, saying voters must deliver absentee ballots in person or by mail.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- mattsmith_news A group called Wisconsin Election Committee, Inc. is running TV ads...
- WisPolitics Group threatens in TV ad to oust Vos unless he allows Wolfe impeachment to proceed
- Wisconsin Watch Are ballot drop boxes in Wisconsin illegal?
- Wisconsin Watch Did House speaker object to Wisconsin ballots in drop boxes?
- Wisconsin Watch Meagan Wolfe: Evidence lacking in case against election official
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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