Informing Democracy reviewed Wisconsin County Clerks and members of County Boards of Canvassers to identify officials who could pose a threat to free and fair elections. Of the 210 officials reviewed, 15 had concerning findings in their background, about 7% of officials, in 15 counties. Three were County Clerks and the remaining 12 were members of County Boards of Canvassers.
Concerning findings do not mean an official will seek to undermine the next election, just as a lack of findings is not a guarantee an official will faithfully execute their duties. This research provides guidance on where attention should be focused to ensure that elections are administered properly according to the law. Notably, research showed that the vast majority of local election officials are dedicated public servants, committed to running free and fair elections.
No county was identified as having an election-denying majority. However, the following counties pose concern for free and fair election administration this November, due to members of the Board of County Canvassers making statements either questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election results or suggesting an openness to supporting anti-democratic activity.
Adams County: Liana Glavin has served as the Clerk of Adams County since 2022 and prior to assuming office, spread false claims regarding the 2020 election on social media. In particular, Glavin amplified claims that the 2020 election was “rigged or stolen” and that disparaged mail voting as potentially fraudulent.
Calumet County: Calumet County Board of Canvassers member Linda Hoerth has called election integrity “the most important issue at hand” and seemed open to a conspiracy that the FBI worked with Twitter to sway the election.
Jackson County: Jackson County Board of Canvassers member William Laurent spread stolen election rhetoric and shared information about a bus trip to the January 6 Stop The Steal rally in Washington, DC.
Kenosha County: County Board of Canvassers member Mary Magdalen Moser has supported election subversion efforts as a private citizen by filing a complaint with the Wisconsin Election Commission following the 2020 election, arguing that the City of Kenosha broke the law by working with private corporations to help Biden win. Moser had previously been arrested for trying to gain access to a live-streamed county board meeting that was closed to the public due to the COVID pandemic.
Kewaunee County: County Board of Canvassers member Ron Heuer is president of Wisconsin Voter Alliance, an organization that sued to overturn Biden’s Wisconsin win, claiming there was evidence of voter fraud. His organization is currently suing Wisconsin over the voter rolls. Heuer previously worked for Michael Gableman’s sham election review.
Langlade County: County Board of Canvassers member Patricia Doleshal shared election conspiracies. She has also compared Democrats to Nazis and called them “our worst enemy.”
Milwaukee County: County Board of Canvassers member Helmut Fritz shared election denial during the post-vote period. This included a hand-written sign reading “Boo Biden boo! Who elected you?”
Taylor County: Taylor County Clerk Andria Farrand promoted social media content that stated that Democrats “let anyone vote,” and posted on Facebook thanking Donald Trump on President Biden’s inauguration day. Farrand also spread several other conspiracy theories on social media.
Washington County: Washington County Clerk Ashley Reichert sought to perform a full hand recount of the 2022 general election, an initiative that was praised by conservative news site Gateway Pundit. Reichert also wanted to program the voting machines in-house, rather than contracting with Dominion Voting Systems. While her actions were not nefarious, they may have helped increase election deniers’ distrust in voting machines.
Winnebago County: County Board of Canvassers member Jean Moxon shared a post claiming that Trump actually won the election.
Eight Wisconsin county election officials — one County Clerk and seven members of Boards of Canvassers — publicly denied or questioned the results of the 2020 election. Adams County Clerk Liana Glavin shared posts during the post-vote period amplifying claims that Trump was the rightful winner, including one that questioned if the election was final on January 6. Dave Staats, a member of the Green County Board of Canvassers, wrote of post-election audits “I just do not believe anything will be done.... Every minute the Biden mafia is in office is one more minute of proof.”