Wisconsin elections agency wants money to bolster confidence

By SCOTT BAUER
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s bipartisan elections agency will be asking the GOP-controlled Legislature to create a new division designed to increase confidence in election results in the face of ongoing conspiracy theories and false claims of widespread fraud. The Wisconsin Elections Commission, which has been under fire from Republicans since Donald Trump’s loss in 2020, unanimously approved a proposal at its Wednesday meeting to seek $1.3 million to hire 10 people and create an Elections Inspector General program. The funding faces major hurdles. It would have to be approved by the Legislature, which includes many Republicans who want to dissolve the commission entirely, and then be signed into law by the next governor.