Robin Vos returns former member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission to replace a Republican who resigned under pressure
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An original member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission will return to replace an outgoing Republican member who resigned under pressure from conservative peers over his refusal to back former President Donald Trump's false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos on Wednesday appointed Republican tax attorney Don Millis of Sun Prairie to the commission to replace former state Rep. Dean Knudson just two days before the panel is set to pick its new chairman.
In making his appointment, Vos sought to appease factions of the Republican Party that contradict each other on elections issues by choosing a new member who has not taken a public position on whether the 2020 election was manipulated by voter fraud, a false claim that has been embraced by prominent Wisconsin Republicans.
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The commission is under fire as a symbol of those false claims to much of the Republican base, fueled by accusations from former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman as he reviews the 2020 election for Vos.
Gableman has called for the commission to be abolished, in part, because of guidance commissioners gave to clerks to navigate voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
One longstanding commission rule for clerks that has been criticized by Gableman and other Republicans since the 2020 election is permitting election officials to fill in missing information on ballots, like addresses.
In 2016, during his first stint on the commission, Millis made the motion to approve that guidance.
Even so, Gableman in a statement said he supported the appointment.
“Don will bring with him both the intellectual firepower and courageous resolve that are both necessary to enable him to help put a stop to the lawless actions of the leftist members of WEC,” Gableman said.
Millis is likely to get the commission's top spot because of state rules requiring members of both major parties to take turns serving as the panel's chair and a lack of support among the commission's Democratic members for Republican member Bob Spindell, who posed as a fake presidential elector following the 2020 election.
Millis was appointed to the commission in 2016 by then-Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and resigned in 2017 to return to lobbying on tax policy.
He also was appointed by former Gov. Tommy Thompson to the then-state Elections Board between 1997 and 2001.
“I’ve known Don for decades. He’s a true conservative fighter who understands election law and knows how to get things done. I can’t think of anyone better for this position,” Thompson said in a statement.
Vos said in his announcement that Millis backed using paper ballots, opposed using touch-screen voting and supported the state's requirement for voters to show photo identification.
“Don is a respected attorney whose expertise makes him an excellent addition to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. I have no doubt he will apply election laws fairly and ensure current law is being followed,” Vos said in a statement.
Millis did not return a phone call requesting an interview.
Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Robin Vos replaces Republican elections commissioner who resigned
