(LibertySons.org) – The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently allowed the state to use unstaffed ballot drop boxes in the next election. Republicans sought to prevent three other rules from taking effect before the upcoming elections.
On July 22, the Wisconsin legislature’s rulemaking body, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, voted to halt three proposed emergency rules from taking effect. The rules deal with challenges to candidates, uniform rules for absentee voting, and challenges to nominating paperwork.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty climbed the rules, which came from the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), but they aren’t actual emergencies because the process took way too long. Attorney Skylar Croy explained that WEC issued its first statements in September 2023. Then Governor Tony Evers (D) didn’t bother to approve the three so-called emergency rules until spring 2024.
Croy said that lawmakers shouldn’t allow WEC to “just mouth the word emergency” as a way to circumvent the normal “permanent rulemaking procedures.” Allowing the elections committee to use the emergency rule process also allowed it to go around the lengthy review process that usually accompanies rule changes.
Democrats disputed the claims and accused Republicans of trying to find a dangerous workaround for the rulemaking process. State Sen. Kelda Roys (D) mentioned the recent state Supreme Court ruling that dealt with the issue and allowed the ballot drop box rule to stand. Roys accused the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules of taking it upon themselves to do “the court’s job and doing the executive branch’s job.” The senator continued, saying the committee’s position was “pretty problematic from a separation of power standpoint.”
State Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R) disagreed, arguing that the emergency rulemaking process should be shut down because going around the legislature is dangerous. The lawmaker said that if the rules are allowed to stand, other agencies would try to get away with the same thing.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
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