The Point: This governor had some harsh words for those who continue to question the 2020 election results

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August 10, 2021 | by Lauren Dezenski

This governor had some harsh words for those who continue to question the 2020 election results

As Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers struck down six Republican-backed measures that he said would have made it harder for residents to vote, the Democrat had a sharp message for those who continue to undermine the 2020 election results:

"Since November 2020, we've watched Republican governors and legislators around the country work quickly to add more hurdles to voting, to discredit the good work of our election officials, and to try and cast doubt on an election just because they didn't win. They're trying to stack the deck so they get the results they want next time, and they're trying to make it harder for every eligible person to cast their ballot."

Citing his own narrow 2018 victory over then-Gov. Scott Walker, who conceded after a contentious election, Evers said Republicans need to tell their constituents the truth about President Joe Biden's win.

"Now it's time for those who stirred the pot to say there's nothing there," Evers said.

Wisconsin has already extensively assessed its 2020 election results, when Biden's victory was affirmed by recounts in two of the most populous counties. The Associated Press, citing documents obtained under a public records request, reported in May that Wisconsin election officials had identified and forwarded to prosecutors just 27 cases of potential voter fraud in a state where 3.3 million ballots were cast in November's election.

Evers clearly relished the executive actions on Tuesday, remarking as he signed the sixth and final veto, "And here's the final nail in the coffin," to the cameras gathered around him. Wisconsin Republicans do not have enough votes to override his vetoes.

But the efforts to re-litigate the 2020 election in Wisconsin are not over. Two Republican-led measures to review the 2020 election results are underway, while one GOP lawmaker on the Assembly Elections Committee even attempted to seize ballots and voting machines in two counties and issue subpoenas to county clerks for ballots, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. When asked whether the clerks should comply with the subpoenas, Evers was direct: "The answer would be: 'Hell no.'"

Similar efforts to audit the 2020 election results have produced no proof of fraud, as some claim. In Michigan, the GOP-led state Senate found "no evidence of widespread or systematic fraud," and recommended the state attorney general consider investigating individuals who pushed false claims "to raise money or publicity for their own ends." Arizona's review of ballots cast in Maricopa County has been widely derided. The Republican chairman of the Maricopa County's Board of Supervisors even accused the state Senate of "running a grift disguised as an audit" and has called the contractors it hired incompetent.

"You've seen what's happening in Arizona," Evers said Tuesday, "it's a clown show."

The Point: For Wisconsin, these executive actions are a big step. But as long as the state's Republicans continue to question the 2020 results and push to make voting access more difficult, like in many other states, this fight won't be over anytime soon.

-- Lauren

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Today is infrastructure day."

-- Sen. Rob Portman, ahead of the Senate's successful vote on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. It passed 69-30. The hard-fought cryptocurrency amendment was rejected after GOP Sen. Richard Shelby objected to the measure, meaning the original text remained in the final bill.

TOP TWEETS

1. Say this again for the folks in the back

2. "All politics is Hochul"

3. "Pigs fly"

4. The audacity

5. The summer of Bill continues

6. What a legacy !

7. This walrus just wants to float on a boat

8. Thank you!

LAUREN'S GOOD READS

Major news broke soon after the Senate passed the bipartisan infrastructure plan: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he is resigning, effective in 14 days. Here's what you need to know about Cuomo's departure, from the inimitable Jimmy Vielkind and co. at The Wall Street Journal. Now meet New York's soon-to-be first female governor, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul.

A wrenching op-ed from the wife of a Capitol police officer who died by suicide after the January 6 attacks, in USA Today: "My husband's suicide after Jan. 6 riots was a line-of-duty death. He deserves recognition."

Legal marijuana cultivation is increasingly popular in the US. It's also a major energy hog, Politico reports, complicating efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Urban sprawl, visualized.

It's great when a headline does a story justice: Giant clay soldiers charge into battle as D.C. memorial takes shape, via The Washington Post.

I love this so much: Giannis is what happens when N.B.A. dreams come true, from The New York Times.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE

Hello, Flock of Dimes Tiny Desk!

THE FAKE ORIGINS OF TRUMPISM

Former President Donald Trump has always kept a keen eye on the crowd size of his events, but his high-profile debut down an escalator and into the political world may not have been what it seemed.

In the latest episode of The Point, Chris explores where Trump's crowd size obsession began.

Stick with The Point on YouTube and subscribe!

ONE BIG SPEND

$550 billion

The amount of new spending included in the Senate's bipartisan infrastructure bill. The House of Representatives will likely not take up the bill until the fall.

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