Tim Michels announced his proposal to replace the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) titled “WEC 2.0” on Wednesday. The agency would be composed of members from each of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts. Although it is unclear how appointments would be made under the proposal, it could create a partisan oversight board because the majority of the state’s congressional districts are represented by Republicans. Michels argued that the new board would be more “representative” than the current WEC, which is composed of three Democrats and three Republicans.
Michels may have implied that each member of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation would make appointments to the board, as he said that “if people have a problem with that representative … they can go to their congressman. There’s much more direct representation there.” However, aides to Michels’ did not answer whether this was the case. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that the state constitution does not explicitly prohibit members of Congress from appointing to state boards, although it would be unusual if not unprecedented.
Rebecca Kleefisch, Michels’ opponent in the Republican gubernatorial primary, characterized the proposal as confusing during a live radio event on Wednesday. During that event, Michels had also tied Kleefisch to the current WEC, which was created while she was Lt. Governor in 2016. Kleefisch alternatively suggested that either the Wisconsin Secretary of State or the State Legislature should be charged with election oversight; Michels does not support the former since he believes that more than one person should be held accountable for election duties.
