Melanie Conklin, Wisconsin Examiner

The six other states — Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin— joined Georgia in submitting documents to Congress certifying falsely that the majority of votes — and therefore the Electoral College votes — went to Trump.

The documents, all filed by Republicans for Trump, were brought to light through a Freedom of Information Act request by the D.C.-based watchdog group American Oversight, which requested all 2020 certificates of electoral votes that were not already published as the 2020 Electoral College Results.

“Looking at the certificates, there were striking similarities in the language and the formatting between many of them that … points to this not being an original idea,” says Clark Pettig, spokesperson for American Oversight. “These certificates matter because they show in black and white just how far allies of the former president were prepared to go to subvert our democracy. It’s shocking to see it there on the page.”...

The 10 Wisconsin Republicans who assembled on Dec. 14, 2020 at noon in the state Capitol and falsely certified that Donald Trump had won the state’s electoral votes were not the nation’s only bogus electors. They made up just one of seven groups falsely claiming Trump was the victor in states where the majority of voters chose Joe Biden for president and Kamala Harris for vice president.

The six other states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania — joined Wisconsin in submitting documents to Congress certifying falsely that the majority of votes — and therefore the Electoral College votes — went to Trump.

The documents, all filed by Republicans for Trump, were brought to light through a Freedom of Information Act request by the D.C.-based watchdog group American Oversight, which requested all 2020 certificates of electoral votes that were not already published as the 2020 Electoral College Results....

On Monday, the joint Senate and Assembly rules committee voted 6-4 along party lines with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats voting against requiring the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) to draw up emergency rules to regulate ballot drop boxes and what election clerks are permitted to do regarding errors or missing information on absentee ballot envelopes. The Elections Commission will meet Tuesday on these issues.

In a statement after the vote, committee chair Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), put out a statement giving WEC 30 days to draw up emergency rules, which he then pointed out that his committee could suspend if the committee “determines the agency lacks statutory authority.”

Democrats on the committee — Sens. Chris Larson, Kelda Roys and Rep. Gary Hebl and Lisa Subeck — released a joint statement in response to what they dubbed an action aimed “at reducing absentee voting in Wisconsin.”...

A former right-wing Republican congressman and supporter of Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is not going to be following the advice of the former president.

Trump was publicly pushing former northern Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy to run for governor. “Working hard to get very popular and capable Former Congressman Sean Duffy of Wisconsin to run for Governor. He would be fantastic!” Trump said in a statement in October. “A champion athlete, Sean loves the people of Wisconsin, and would be virtually unbeatable…Run Sean, Run!”

Duffy did not respond to Trump’s entreaties at the time, but broke his silence on that topic on the anniversary of the D.C. Capitol insurrection when he joined a conservative WISN talk radio show and announced he would not run for governor in 2022 or for senator....

Over the past week, Republicans — including a state senator who chairs the Senate’s election committee — have blasted Speaker Robin Vos’ 2020 election probe as a “charade” that is harmful to democracy. Newspaper editorial boards have also offered harsh criticism, including the Capital Times, which characterized the ‘audit’ as “looney,” and an “epic train wreck.”

The outrage directed at Vos and his appointed leader of the partisan election investigation, former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, began with a Monday panel hosted by national election monitors, but also including former county clerk and current state Sen. Kathy Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls). Panelists spoke out about the need to protect election administrators and officials who are getting threats and other harassment because Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and Gableman, have asserted that the election was stolen.

The panel moderator and host was David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) based in Washington D.C. — a group that secures pro-bono attorneys and others to assist election officials who are being harassed, threatened, subpoenaed or even prosecuted. Joining Becker and Bernier were three national election experts, including a Republican and a Democrat who are strong partisans in their political work on the presidential level and equally strong in their shared belief that the election was fair and accurate and that continued efforts like Vos’ represent a danger to democracy....