Wisconsin Government Accountability Board

Last updated
Wisconsin Government Accountability Board
Agency overview
Formed(2008-01-10)January 10, 2008
Preceding agency
  • Wisconsin Elections Board (1973–2008)
Dissolved(2016-06-29)June 29, 2016
Superseding agencies
Headquarters212 E. Washington Ave.
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
43°4′36.732″N89°22′56.028″W / 43.07687000°N 89.38223000°W / 43.07687000; -89.38223000
Employees48.75 (2015) [1]
Annual budget $14,007,000 (2015) [1]
Website gab.wi.gov (Archived)

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (G.A.B.) was a regulatory agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin which administered and enforced Wisconsin law pertaining to campaign finance, elections, ethics, and lobbying. The board was composed of six retired Wisconsin judges who served staggered, six-year terms. The board was created in 2007 as an attempt to reform and modernize Wisconsin's elections and ethics management. The board was dissolved in 2016 by the Republican legislature and replaced by two new commissions with explicitly partisan appointees (Wisconsin Ethics Commission & Wisconsin Elections Commission), over the objections of Democratic legislators.

Contents

Composition

The Board consisted of six members who served staggered, six-year terms. Board members were appointed by the Governor of Wisconsin, but the Governor had to select from a pool of retired state court judges chosen by a selection committee composed of a randomized set of Wisconsin Appeals Court judges, and the Governor's appointees had to then be approved by the Wisconsin Senate. The board members served part-time, and received a per diem for each meeting they attended. [2]

History and controversies

The G.A.B. was created as a reform measure after the Wisconsin "legislative caucus scandal" in 2001 [3] [4] which led to criminal convictions of the state Assembly's highest-ranking Republican (Speaker Scott Jensen), the state Senate's highest-ranking Democrat (Majority Leader Chuck Chvala), and other officials. [5] The G.A.B. was tasked with overseeing elections, ethics and lobbying in the state. [5] The 2007 Wisconsin Act 1, which passed the Wisconsin Legislature on a bipartisan vote in January 2007, merged the State Elections Board and State Ethics Board into the new G.A.B. [6] [7]

The G.A.B. had a nonpartisan structure unique among election boards in the United States, with G.A.B. led by six former judges appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. [3] [6] In contrast to the G.A.B.'s nonpartisan model, state election boards in other U.S. states were either partisan (ie., run by elected or appointed partisan officials) or bipartisan. [6] G.A.B. members could not "hold another state or local public office (except as reserve judge), engage in partisan political activities, become a candidate for state or local elected office, make political contributions, or be a lobbyist or employed by a person who employs a lobbyist. They also have limitations on political activities and certain types of contributions both during and 12 months prior to a member's term." [6] The G.A.B.'s structure was praised by some experts. [8]

Law professor Daniel P. Tokaji, who studied the G.A.B., praised the agency's model, concluding in 2013 that "GAB has been successful in administering elections evenhandledly and... serves as a worthy model for other states considering alternatives to partisan election administration at the state level." [9] The Board has the power to investigate independently, without the approval of the legislature. [4] The G.A.B. oversaw a series of recall elections for the state senate in 2011 and for state senate and governor in 2012. [3]

The G.A.B. was consistently criticized by Wisconsin Republicans, such as Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott L. Fitzgerald, and the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity; these critics accused the G.A.B. of unfairly targeting Republicans. Republicans were particularly angry over a G.A.B. investigation into whether Republican Governor Scott Walker's campaign had unlawfully coordinated with the Club for Growth and other "outside" groups during the 2012 recall election. [3] [4] [5] [10] [8]

By contrast, Democrats and groups such as the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and Common Cause defended the G.A.B. [3] [5] [8] In December 2015, Walker signed a bill that dissolved the G.A.B., [8] effective on June 30, 2016, [3] and replaced it with a separate Wisconsin Elections Board and Wisconsin Ethics Commission. [4]

The legislation dismantling the G.A.B. passed along party lines, with Republicans voting yes and Democrats voting no. [8] Wisconsin's reversion to a "bipartisan" rather than "nonpartisan" model increased the power of the Republican-controlled legislature, and also increased deadlocks; while the G.A.B. rarely deadlocked, the Elections Commission has frequently deadlocked along party lines. [4] The 2015 legislation also restored the practice of allowing state legislators to control funding for investigations into possible misconduct by state officials. [8] Just a few years after abolishing the G.A.B., Republican legislators—angry over the outcome of the 2020 election —were calling for abolishing the Wisconsin Elections Commission which they had built to replace it. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Hansen (politician)</span> American politician

Dave Hansen is an American Democratic politician and former state legislator. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate from 2001 through 2021, representing the 30th senatorial district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Supreme Court</span> Highest court in the U.S. state of Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lena Taylor</span> 21st century American politician

Lena C. Taylor is an American lawyer, judge, and former politician serving as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County, since January 2024. She previously served 19 years as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 4th State Senate district from 2005 to 2024, and was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for one term before that.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luther Olsen</span> American politician

Luther S. Olsen is an American politician and former member of the Wisconsin Legislature. A Republican, he served 16 years in the Wisconsin State Senate (2005–2021) and ten years in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1994–2005). Olsen was one of several Wisconsin state senators to survive the 2011 Wisconsin Senate recall elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government of West Virginia</span>

The Government of West Virginia is modeled after the Government of the United States, with three branches: the executive, consisting of the Governor of West Virginia and the other elected constitutional officers; the legislative, consisting of the West Virginia Legislature which includes the Senate and the House of Delegates; and the judicial, consisting of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and lower courts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Vos</span> American politician (born 1968)

Robin Joseph Vos is an American businessman and Republican politician and the 79th speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, serving in that role since 2013. He has been a member of the Assembly since 2005, representing most of the southern half of Racine County. Vos is also president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Wisconsin elections</span>

The 2010 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 2, 2010. All of Wisconsin's executive and administrative officers were up for election as well as one of Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seats, Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, seventeen seats in the Wisconsin State Senate, and all 99 seats in the Wisconsin State Assembly. The 2010 Wisconsin Fall Partisan Primary was held September 14, 2010.

David G. Deininger is a retired Republican politician and jurist from Wisconsin. He served as a judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals for eleven years, from 1996 to 2007, and now serves as a reserve judge. He was the first chairman of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, appointed by Democratic Governor Jim Doyle. Earlier in his career, he served three and a half terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing parts of Green and Rock counties, and was a Wisconsin Circuit Court Judge in Green County.

Sherburn Duane "Duey" Stroebel Jr. is an American realtor and Republican politician from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 20th Senate district since 2015. He previously served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, from 2011 to 2015. After the latest redistricting plan, Stroebel is running for re-election in Wisconsin's 8th Senate district in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election</span>

The 2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election was a special election to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Wisconsin. It resulted in voters re-electing incumbent Republican governor Scott Walker over the Democratic candidate Tom Barrett by a larger margin than in 2010 when Walker also faced Barrett. Recall organizers opposed Walker's agenda, particularly his limiting of collective bargaining rights for state employees and they collected over 900,000 signatures to initiate the recall election process. There was also a recall for Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch. She won her race, defeating Democrat Mahlon Mitchell, making her the first lieutenant governor to run in and survive a recall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Wisconsin Senate recall elections</span>

Recall elections for four Wisconsin state senators were held during the spring of 2012. Voters put four state senators up for recall, all Republicans, because of the budget repair bill proposed by Governor Scott Walker and circumstances surrounding it. Democrats targeted Republicans for voting to significantly limit public employee collective bargaining. Scholars could cite only four times in American history when more than one state legislator has been recalled at roughly the same time over the same issue. The recall elections occurred on June 5, with May 8 being the date of the primary election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Wachs</span> 21st century American politician

Dana John Wachs is an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for six years, representing Wisconsin's 91st Assembly district from 2013 to 2019. He was also a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents from 2022 until 2024. He previously served on the Eau Claire City Council. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Wisconsin in the 2018 Democratic primary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Wisconsin elections</span>

The 2014 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 4, 2014. Wisconsin's Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer were all up for election, as well as Wisconsin's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives. The November general election in 2014 also featured a statewide referendum on an amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin. The 2014 Wisconsin Fall Primary Election was held on August 12, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Wisconsin elections</span>

The 2016 Wisconsin Fall General Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on November 8, 2016. One of Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seats and all eight seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election, as well as half of the Wisconsin Senate seats and all 99 Wisconsin State Assembly seats. Voters also chose ten electors to represent them in the Electoral College, which then participated in selecting the 45th president of the United States. The 2016 Fall Partisan Primary was held on August 9, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wisconsin Elections Commission</span> Wisconsin state commission charged with administering and enforcing election laws

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is a bipartisan regulatory agency of the state of Wisconsin established to administer and enforce election laws in the state. The Wisconsin Elections Commission was established by a 2015 act of the Wisconsin Legislature which also established the Wisconsin Ethics Commission to administer campaign finance, ethics, and lobbying laws. The two commissions began operation on June 30, 2016, replacing the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB), which was abolished.

The Wisconsin Ethics Commission is a regulatory agency of the State of Wisconsin which administers and enforces Wisconsin law pertaining to ethics and lobbying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike McCabe</span>

Mike McCabe is a political reform activist in Wisconsin. He worked for 15 years as executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and founded Blue Jean Nation, a nonpartisan group that describes itself as "commoners working to house the politically homeless and transform parties that are failing America."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redistricting in Wisconsin</span>

Redistricting in Wisconsin is the process by which boundaries are redrawn for municipal wards, Wisconsin State Assembly districts, Wisconsin State Senate districts, and Wisconsin's congressional districts. Redistricting typically occurs—as in other U.S. states—once every decade, usually in the year after the decennial United States census. According to the Wisconsin Constitution, redistricting in Wisconsin follows the regular legislative process, it must be passed by both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature and signed by the Governor of Wisconsin—unless the Legislature has sufficient votes to override a gubernatorial veto. Due to political gridlock, however, it has become common for Wisconsin redistricting to be conducted by courts. The 1982, 1992, and 2002 legislative maps were each enacted by panels of United States federal judges; the 1964 and 2022 maps were enacted by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Wisconsin elections</span>

The 2015 Wisconsin Spring Election was held in the U.S. state of Wisconsin on April 7, 2015. There was a contested election for justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, as well as several other nonpartisan local and judicial elections and an amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin to change the process for selection of the chief justice of the State Supreme Court. In addition, the ballot contained a special election to fill a vacancy in the 20th State Senate district. The 2015 Wisconsin Spring Primary was held February 17, 2015.

Meagan Wolfe is an American election official serving as the administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission since 2018. She previously served as its deputy administrator and IT director. She has been the target of election conspiracies and partisan complaints since the 2020 United States presidential election, and Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature and on the Wisconsin Elections Commission are attempting to remove her from office.

References

  1. 1 2 Pohlman, Julie; Lemanski, Lynn, eds. (2015). "Executive Branch" (PDF). Wisconsin Blue Book 2015-2016 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 405. ISBN   978-0-9752820-7-6 . Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  2. ↑ Shawn Johnson, GAB background: "Once A Symbol Of Bipartisanship, Government Accountability Board Targeted For Overhaul – Republicans Back Bill To Split GAB Into Two Commissions, Wisconsin Public Radio (October 13, 2015).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Katelyn Ferral, As the Government Accountability Board ends, what's the future for Wisconsin campaign finance regulation?, The Capital Times (June 20, 2016).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Vanessa Swales, With All Eyes on Wisconsin, Partisan Gridlock at State Elections Commission Frustrates Voters and Local Officials, Wisconsin Watch/ProPublica (October 26, 2020).
  5. 1 2 3 4 Alan Greenblatt, Government Accountability? GOP Says No Thanks, Wisconsin, Governing (May 2015).
  6. 1 2 3 4 Performance Report: 2013-2015 Biennial Report of the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board , Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.
  7. ↑ An Act ... relating to: creation of a Government Accountability Board, enforcement of elections, ethics, and lobbying regulation laws, venue for prosecution of certain offenses, granting rule-making authority, making appropriations, and providing penalties (Act 1). Wisconsin Legislature. 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mark Sommerhauser, Scott Walker signs bills dismantling GAB, overhauling campaign finance law, Wisconsin State Journal (December 16, 2015).
  9. ↑ Daniel P. Tokaji, America's Top Model: The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, 3 UC Irvine L. Rev. 575 (2013).
  10. ↑ Jessie Opoien (December 12, 2014). "Wisconsin Republicans critical of G.A.B. in light of nonpartisan audit". The Capital Times.
  11. ↑ Lehr, Sarah (December 5, 2023). "Republican bill would abolish Wisconsin Elections Commission". Wisconsin Public Radio . Retrieved December 26, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.