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Meagan Wolfe was unanimously confirmed by the Wisconsin Senate yesterday to lead the state’s Election Commission – a welcome change from recent turmoil surrounding that agency. The Star-Tribune has more:

The Wisconsin Senate has confirmed Meagan Wolfe as the leader of the state Elections Commission, more than a year after she started the job.

The Republican-controlled Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to confirm Wolfe. The Senate has refused to act on any appointments made Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Wolfe was appointed by the bipartisan Elections Commission and started working in March 2018 when Republican Scott Walker was governor.

The Senate refused to confirm the previous elections administrator, Mike Haas, amid concerns about his role in an investigation into alleged campaign violations by Walker.

Wolfe is the first administrator approved since the agency’s creation.

Wolfe’s term runs through 2023, meaning she will be in charge during the 2020 presidential election.

Wolfe shared this message to the state’s election community in a communication post-confirmation:

To each of Wisconsin’s 1,922 county and municipal clerks – thank you for your support and
partnership during my time as interim administrator. Your diligence and commitment to fair, secure and transparent elections makes my job as Wisconsin’s chief elections official that much easier. And the honest and intelligent feedback you give me makes our agency better. You are the force that makes elections run and your ability to embrace and adapt to ever-changing challenges is truly remarkable.

I would also like to thank the members of the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission for their faith in me. With your support and guidance, we have accomplished much in the last 15 months.

Finally, thank you to the nonpartisan team at WEC. We have a relatively small staff, but your creativity, diligence and resourcefulness allow us to accomplish great things in serving local election officials and the voters of our state. You continue to make Wisconsin a national leader in election administration and I want to acknowledge all of your hard work in support of Wisconsin elections.

Working together, I know we can meet the challenges of the 2020 election cycle and beyond to ensure transparent, fair and secure elections in Wisconsin.

Regular readers of this blog know that it has been a rough ride in Wisconsin for several years, where partisan fights over election administration and campaign finance enforcement have resulted in near-constant controversy over election policy in the Badger State. Wolfe’s confirmation signals that those fights could be subsiding (and maybe ending entirely?) and reflects the tremendous work Meagan has done to keep the commission’s important work on track. I know for a fact that Meagan’s peers nationwide respect her skills and ability – and it’s heartening to see the legislature do so, too.

Best of luck to Meagan, the WEC and the entire Wisconsin election community as 2020 approaches – I’m rooting for you! Stay tuned …

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