A Madison resident with the backing of the Democratic Party has challenged Tim Michels’ nomination papers, claiming Michels improperly filled out the requisite paperwork and should be disqualified from having his name on the primary and general election ballots. The challenge was filed with the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), which Michels recently said he’d dissolve if elected governor. Michels’ campaign manager, Patrick McNulty, called the complaint “petty and frivolous” and said it would “not distract our campaign in any way.”
The complaint filed with WEC alleges Michels did not include the municipality of his mailing address — as required by state law — on a significant portion of his nomination papers; instead, Michels only used the municipality of his residence. Although Michels resides in the Village of Chenequa, his mailing address is in the Village of Hartland. Ben Wikler, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said “Election integrity means at its core, following the law, and Tim Michels did not follow the laws.” In an official response to the complaint, Michels’ campaign is arguing the address he listed on his nomination form still substantially complies with state law since he receives mail at that address regardless of whether the municipality listed is Chenequa or Hartland. Michels’ attorney, Matthew Fernholz, said “An order that ousts a candidate for failure to identify a mailing address’s municipality — notwithstanding the fact that the candidate provided an accurate mailing address at which he receives mail — unreasonably impairs the right of voters to associate and restricts the voters’ opportunity to cast a ballot for the candidate of their choice.”
WEC denied the challenge to Michels’ nomination papers unanimously, finding that Michels substantially complied with state law and therefore his nomination papers should be accepted. Responding to the decision by WEC, Michels posted a statement to Twitter writing in part, “in each step of the process, from the day we turned in our papers, to the staff recommendation earlier this week and now the unanimous vote of the Commission, our signatures were recognized as valid and sufficient[.]” Michels went on to write that his “campaign has not lost a beat” and he will “drive forward with all hands on deck….to defeat Tony Evers and get Wisconsin back on the right track.”
The decision by WEC means Michels’ name will be listed on the ballot for the Republican gubernatorial primary August 9th.
