Certifying Wisconsin election results a formality, not a legal battle

The recount of the election results in Wisconsin is complete. As we learned, the election night totals held, and Joe Biden is about to be declared the winner of the state’s 10 electoral votes. But before that can happen, the chairperson of the Wisconsin Elections Commission must make it official by certifying the vote total. That is a mere formality in most elections, but this is 2020 so there has to be a fight about it. Under state law, the chairperson of the bipartisan Elections Commission must sign the documents to certify the return. The commission itself is bipartisan, comprised of three Democrats and three Republicans. The role of chair rotates every two years, alternating between Republicans and Democrats to make it fair. Which it is. But some Republicans on the commission don’t think the chairperson should be able to sign the form on behalf of the entire commission, and may be willing to sue to try to get their way. This system has worked well for years. In fact, the wording of the current law was crafted by Republicans. So it’s beyond ironic that the very people who drafted the law are now saying it isn’t fair. Certifying election results should continue to be a formality, not the subject of a court fight.