The LAB audit will look at how the election was administered and the process overall. Democrats hope it will not be politicised.

MADISON - Thursday, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee held a public hearing regarding the scope of a proposed audit of the 2020 election. The audit will look at how the election was administered and the process overall. The Democratic members of the committee objected to the audit.

The Democratic members of the committee released the following statements:

Senator Melissa Agard (D-Madison):

“The 2020 election was free, fair, secure, and transparent. Even in the midst of a global pandemic our election workers across the state went above and beyond to ensure that our democracy remained strong in the face of these unprecedented challenges. Due to the national spotlight on the results, there has never been a more scrutinized election. Votes were counted, recounted, and systems were checked to ensure the accuracy of the final count.

“I trust the Legislative Audit Bureau explicitly to perform their work with honor and integrity. However, the very act of conducting an audit on this settled subject can only take us down a road of more misinformation and conspiracy theories which will undermine the public’s trust in future elections.”

Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee):

“We cannot weaponize this audit with a preconceived idea of what the result might be. This must be treated as an honest chance to improve our elections in Wisconsin. There are still many opportunities to make sure that everyone who is eligible and wants to vote in Wisconsin can cast their ballot.

“Instead of finding ways to make that harder for them, we should be looking for obstacles that voters might be facing and finding ways to break them down. I would like to see if we can bring back Wisconsin’s strong system for identifying and addressing impediments faced by elderly voters and voters with disabilities.”

Representative Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton):

“As a committee, we provide essential oversight for government agencies. However, it is important we do not use our authority to cast doubt over the administration of the free and fair election that was held in 2020. Clerks and election officials across our state worked hard to be transparent and follow the same rules even as partisan interests attempted to undermine their efforts at every turn. As we all know, 2020 had unique challenges that required unique solutions for individual municipalities. I hope that moving forward we can prevent the spread of misinformation and rather find ways to further ensure the ease of access to the ballot box in the face of a pandemic.”

Representative Francesca Hong (D-Madison):

“The American civic process is a shining star in our nation’s history. Our democracy is built on representation, and for decades, elections in Wisconsin and across the country have been conducted in a secure and constitutional manner. To disparage the integrity of our civic process is to question the integrity of the voter — and this is in its essence unpatriotic. There is no doubt that the 2020 presidential election was true and fair, and instead of addressing issues such as voter disenfranchisement, discrimination and suppression, we are pulling the thread of a non - issue. Today I voted to uphold the principle that every vote should hold equal weight and that we must fight disenfranchisement at every turn.”