Wisconsin Governor Certifies Joe Biden Victory Despite Lawsuits Against The Election Result
On Monday, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers formally confirmed Joe Biden's victory. He signed the paperwork to allocate the state's ten electoral votes to the President-elect following recounts in two of Wisconsin's most populous counties, Dane County and Milwaukee County.
Taking to his Twitter account on Dec. 1, Evers confirmed that he certified the Nov. 3 election. He also noted that he signed the Certificate of Ascertainment for the slate of electors for President-elect Joe Biden, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, as required by state and federal law.
Evers, a Democrat, thank the state's poll workers, election administrators, and clerks for their efforts to make sure they had a fair, safe, and efficient election. Before the governor signed the papers, the Wisconsin Elections Commission had already finalized the statewide results.
Biden's victory confirmation comes after President Donald Trump's campaign requested recounts in two counties. The president's campaign plans to challenge Wisconsin's results in court, but Evers' certification represents a major blow to Trump's attempts to reverse election results in key states, including Wisconsin.
To make things worse for Trump's campaign, election officials have certified results in several close states where he launched legal battles. These states include Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and Arizona, which CNN reported Monday certified Biden's victory.
Other efforts of the Trump campaign in Wisconsin include a request to Dane County election officials not to count tens of thousands of absentee ballots. Still, the county's bipartisan panel of canvassers unanimously turned down their request. The recount in Milwaukee and Dane counties was completed on Monday, netting the president-elect and 74 votes more and making a negligible difference to his margin of victory, Madison reported.
Dane County's recount showed Biden winning by an impressive 181,340 votes as his lead narrowed by 45 votes. The recount in Milwaukee County resulted in Biden having a net gain of 132 votes.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul criticized Trump's campaign, accusing them of adopting what he described as a disgraceful Jim Crow strategy to deprive Black voters of their right to vote during the state's recounts. Kaul pointed out that Trump and his representatives used the recount to pursue after-the-election changes to the rules.
He explained that the changes sought by Trump and his representatives would lead to a considerable number of votes being thrown out. In his statement, Kaul also noted that Trump representatives have focused on having those changes made to votes cast in two counties, where most Black Wisconsinites live.