Wisconsin Election Chair Demands Destruction of 2020 Ballots

The head of the Wisconsin Elections Commission is calling on the state attorney general to authorize the immediate disposal of a quarter-million absentee records from the 2020 vote in Milwaukee. The demand follows recent federal law enforcement interviews with municipal administrators and local police departments regarding past voting procedures.

The push by Wisconsin Elections Commission Chair Don Millis, a Republican, emerged after federal agents confiscated 2020 voting records in Georgia earlier this year. That federal activity transpired against a backdrop of persistent, unverified assertions by Donald Trump that the previous presidential race was compromised.

During a televised broadcast on Sunday, Millis stated that investigators had encountered numerous unproven theories regarding the Milwaukee returns, which he attributed to specific political opportunists. Millis clarified that the federal agents conducted their work objectively and received documentation proving that no illicit coordination or miscounting occurred during the 2020 tabulation.

Millis suggested that federal investigators are merely compiling a summary for senior officials in Washington. He expressed significant dissatisfaction that Milwaukee County continues to safeguard 265,000 absentee records that document individual voter choices, arguing that these materials must be eliminated without further delay.

No external parties possess the right to review those documents, Millis asserted. He emphasized that the state framework relies fundamentally on voter privacy and expressed frustration that authorities have not yet executed the disposal, urging responsible parties to accelerate the process.

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Statutory provisions in the state permit local administrators to shred voting records and associated documentation once a period of 22 months has elapsed from the date of the contest.

Millis noted that a legal freeze currently protects the absentee records in Milwaukee, though he did not provide specific case details. Activist Peter Bernegger has initiated multiple legal actions against the local voting board and its members in both state and federal jurisdictions. The state regulatory board previously penalized Bernegger in 2022 for submitting baseless legal challenges regarding voter fraud.

Local authorities in Milwaukee have retained outside legal specialists to handle the matter. Concurrently, Millis stated that Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul needs to step in to block any external dissemination of the materials.

Preserving the confidentiality of these local voter selections represents a clear statewide priority, Millis observed. He noted that such intervention could accelerate the resolution, adding that the slow momentum of the ongoing court cases remains a source of frustration.

Representatives for the state justice department did not offer an immediate response when contacted for a statement regarding the matter.

Millis maintained that municipal leaders hold the legal leverage to eliminate the 2020 records irrespective of federal actions. He remarked that executing the disposal immediately would represent the ideal outcome, though he acknowledged that such a rapid resolution remains improbable.

Fellow Republican WEC member Bob Spindell thinks the FBI should take a look at Milwaukee 2020 ballots

In contrast, fellow Republican election board member Bob Spindell expressed support for handing the voting materials over to federal investigators during an interview.

Spindell remarked that while every absentee document contains an assigned voter identifier, expecting federal authorities to cross-reference hundreds of thousands of records is unrealistic. He added that approximately 85% of the municipal electorate in Milwaukee consistently supports Democratic candidates.

Consequently, Spindell dismissed privacy apprehensions as a distraction and stated that federal investigators ought to review the materials. He asserted that the state regulatory body should maintain full transparency and assist with any active inquiries.

Spindell further proposed that the regulatory board transfer its complete voter registry to federal authorities. He argued this action would allow investigators to cross-reference data and purge non-citizens from the active registration logs.

The federal justice department is presently contesting a legal challenge that demands access to voter registration indices containing driver’s license details and partial social security numbers. A federal district court judge threw out that specific lawsuit last month.

Milwaukee mayor says FBI questions about the 2020 election are part of Trump’s ‘vanity project’

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson offered a sharper rebuke of the federal scrutiny regarding the city’s past election administration during a television appearance. Johnson highlighted that federal inquiries appear exclusively directed at municipalities in states where Trump lost.

The mayor stated firmly that no administrative anomalies occurred during the vote. He categorized the federal interest as a political vanity exercise and declined to validate ongoing attempts to revisit a settled election.

Johnson stated that Trump continues to reject certified democratic outcomes except in instances where he secures victory. The mayor also critiqued Republican Representative Tom Tiffany, a gubernatorial aspirant who publicly backed federal questioning of local administrators in May.

Johnson extended an invitation to the congressional representative to visit city hall directly to address any lingering concerns with local election administrators. He urged officials to avoid participating in systemic efforts to prolong disputes over past voting results.

Historical Context

The dispute over the 2020 presidential vote records reflects a broader, multi-year conflict within state governance regarding election administration. Following the certified results, multiple recounts and independent audits confirmed the accuracy of the final tallies in Milwaukee and across the state.

Despite these verifications, regular challenges from conservative legal organizations and grassroots activists have sustained intense political pressure on the bipartisan state regulatory board. The current debate over record retention highlights the unresolved tension between maintaining long-term transparency for public review and upholding statutory mandates that enforce voter privacy through the timely destruction of ballots.

FAQs

Why does the election commission chair want the 2020 ballots destroyed?

The chair argues that state law permits the destruction of voting records after 22 months and that maintaining the ballots compromises the constitutional principle of a secret ballot.

How many absentee ballots are currently stored in Milwaukee County from the 2020 vote?

Milwaukee County currently holds 265,000 absentee ballots from the 2020 presidential election which are subject to an ongoing litigation hold.

What is the opposing view within the election commission regarding these ballots?

Some commission members believe the ballots and voter registration lists should be turned over to federal investigators to ensure full transparency and verify the integrity of the voter rolls.