Senate Democrats renewed their call for Wisconsin Elections Commissioner Vice Chair Robert Spindell to be removed from office Thursday following Spindell’s comments promoting voter suppression in Milwaukee.
Spindell, a Republican appointee to the commission who previously posed as a fake elector for Donald Trump following the 2020 election, made an email statement in January bragging about a lack of minority representation at the election polls in Milwaukee, according to Urban Milwaukee.
“We can be especially proud of the City of Milwaukee casting 37,000 less votes than cast in the 2018 election with the major reduction happening in the overwhelming Black and Hispanic areas,” Spindell wrote to Republicans in Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District.
Spindell’s statement led Democrats to urge his resignation or removal from the elections commission, with all 11 Senate Democrats asking Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) to oust him in a Jan. 31 letter. LeMahieu reappointed Spindell to the commission in 2021, according to the Wisconsin Examiner.
“Free, fair and accessible elections are a cornerstone of our democracy and anyone celebrating successful voter suppression efforts, especially in one of Wisconsin’s most diverse cities, is clearly unfit to serve on the Wisconsin Elections Commission,” Democrats wrote in the letter.
As of Thursday, Feb. 9, no action had been taken by Sen. Devin LeMahieu to remove Spindell, nor had he resigned on his own, according to the Cap Times. This prompted Democrats to once again call for the removal of Spindell in a statement last week.
“Bob Spindell is not fit to be a member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. We again call for Senator LeMahieu to remove him,” said Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick). “My Democratic colleagues and I will continue to support the independence of the Wisconsin Elections Commission and stand up for free and accessible elections.”
Spindell previously said he would not resign from his post and has not changed his stance since then, according to the Cap Times.
If removed, LeMahieu would be tasked with appointing Spindell’s replacement on the elections commission. Spindell’s term expires in May 2026, according to the commission’s website.
