Wisconsin Right Now

The Republican who led the first investigation into Wisconsin’s 2020 election says she does not trust the effort to count the state’s absentee ballots early because she doesn’t trust election officials in Milwaukee. State Rep. Janel Brandtjen told The Center Square there are serious security concerns with the Monday Count plan moving ahead at the Wisconsin Capitol. “I get the concept, but Milwaukee has not been a trustworthy partner in elections as I have witnessed in recount, and central count elections,” Brandtjen said. Brandtjen said her experience with former Milwaukee Elections Commission Director Kim Zapata adds to her distrust. Zapata sent Brandtjen three military ballots ahead of the 2022 election. Zapata said she did so to expose a loophole in Wisconsin’s military ballot law. Brandtjen said she’s not so sure. “FYI if her VPN hadn't failed we would have never known who had sent the ballots, and I would have been under suspicion,” Brandtjen said. The Monday Cou

None of the Democratic plans touched on Milwaukee’s record-breaking homicide numbers in 2021. The lawmakers were also silent on the effort to change Wisconsin’s bail system. The first and last pieces of the package of crime legislation from Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol focus solely on money. Democratic lawmakers on Monday unveiled a series of plans that they say will make the state safer. “With the pieces of legislation that promote victim safety, and with the shared revenue enhancement that supports local units of government, we believe this package of bills would really help address crime in Wisconsin,” Rep. Evan Goyke, D-Milwaukee told reporters at the Capitol. Goyke says the package of legislation comes with a roughly $100 million price tag. The largest piece would increase state aid to cities and counties, the so-called shared revenue. “One of the bills in this package would increase shared revenue by 2% in the first year of the biennium, and 2% in the next year.