Pillars of the Community Hosts Wisconsin Kickoff with Riley Willman, Lisa Tollefson, and Paulina Gutiérrez

On July 24, Pillars of the Community held its Wisconsin Kickoff Meeting in Madison, where we convened election officials, policy experts, and a bipartisan group of community leaders for an in-depth discussion about Wisconsin’s election system. Pillars attendees came prepared with a range of questions for the election experts about their processes and the safeguards in place to ensure a fair, secure, and transparent 2024 election. 

• Paulina Gutiérrez (Executive Director, City of Milwaukee Election Commission) explained how her team updates voter rolls and the importance of Poll Chiefs and Election Inspectors.
• Lisa Tollefson (Rock County Clerk) discussed voter registration, on-site election challenges, mail-in ballots, and the crucial role local officials play in maintaining election integrity. Tollefson also emphasized the essential role local clerks play in upholding election integrity, particularly regarding absentee ballot processing.
• Riley Willman (Election Supervisor, Wisconsin Elections Commission) highlighted the transparency of Wisconsin’s bipartisan election commission and the importance of maintaining this openness.
• Dr. Will Flanders (Research Director, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty) presented research findings on fraud claims related to the 2020 election.
• Kyle Koenan (Policy Director, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty) outlined potential legislative reforms to improve election processes.

Key Takeaways:
Through a robust Q&A with election officials, Pillars members:

• Gained insights into how voter registration is managed and how voter rolls are maintained.
• Learned about the critical role of poll workers and watchers.
• Discussed the regulations surrounding drop boxes.

Following WILL’s presentation on their 2020 election report, the group discussed:

• The finding of no evidence of fraud in Wisconsin’s 2020 election.
• How Wisconsin’s election process compares to other states.
• Legislative recommendations for future elections.

Next Steps:
Pillars of the Community will be facilitating “Ask Me Anything” town halls with election officials to continue community engagement.

The event provided Wisconsin community leaders with valuable information about election safeguards, which they can share with their networks to further promote transparency and confidence in our elections.