MADISON, Wis. — On Friday, Wisconsin’s election commission head officially recognized Donald Trump’s win, marking a significant shift from the tumultuous events surrounding the 2020 election in the state.
Commission Chair Ann Jacobs validated results during a brief six-minute Zoom meeting, confirming Trump received 1,697,626 votes, while Democrat Kamala Harris garnered 1,668,229 votes. This formal certification stood in stark contrast to the chaos that followed the 2020 election, during which Trump disputed Joe Biden’s victory by approximately 21,000 votes.
In his pursuit of a different outcome, Trump prompted a recount in Dane and Milwaukee counties, known for their Democratic leanings; however, the recount did not alter the final tally. Later, he filed a lawsuit aimed at disqualifying over 221,000 ballots in these areas, arguing against several categories of absentee ballots, including those without a proper written request and ballots from voters claiming “indefinitely confined” status. Additionally, he targeted absentee ballots collected by poll workers in Madison parks and those with clerks who had corrected missing details on their envelopes.
Ultimately, the state Supreme Court dismissed Trump’s claims in December 2020, stating that four of his allegations were submitted too late, while one was deemed without merit. Concurrently, a federal judge dismissed a separate lawsuit from two Republican legislators and voting rights organizations that aimed to overturn the election results.
Under pressure from Trump’s camp, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos appointed former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman in the spring of 2021 to delve into claims of electoral fraud and abuse. However, Gableman’s investigation yielded no significant findings. Recently, the state Office of Lawyer Regulation lodged a complaint against him for violating multiple conduct regulations, with the state Supreme Court set to decide on any potential penalties.
Meagan Wolfe, the election commission’s nonpartisan administrator, became a target for conspiracy theorists and skeptics who erroneously alleged her involvement in a conspiracy to sway the 2020 election in Biden’s favor. While Republican lawmakers are attempting to remove her from her position, the commission has initiated a lawsuit to protect her role, which is now under consideration by the state Supreme Court.
Despite Trump’s national win in November soothing some conservative frustrations, a segment of the GOP remains profoundly doubtful about election integrity, especially concerning mail-in voting and voting machine procedures. Nonetheless, several states that witnessed chaotic certifications during the 2020 election cycle have successfully confirmed their election outcomes recently, including Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and New Mexico.