RESOLUTION TO BE INTRODUCED TO CREATE THE DANE COUNTY ELECTION SECURITY REVIEW COMMITTEE

February 17, 2022
County Board Chair Analiese Eicher, (608) 571-6823
County Board

The Dane County Board of Supervisors will meet tonight at 7:00pm. At the meeting, County Board Chair Analiese Eicher will be introducing a resolution to create the Dane County Election Security Review Committee.

 

The resolution cites the January 6th insurrection at the nation’s capital, threats against election officials in Wisconsin and around the country, and ongoing disinformation and conspiracy theories that have resulted in an unprecedented threat to our democracy.

 

A recent article from Rolling Stone indicates that Wisconsin has become ground zero for attempts to discredit election administration and sow doubt in election results.

 

"We’ve never seen anything like we have in the last two years. We need to make sure we are prepared and have done a thorough review of our election security in due haste, as the rhetoric and misinformation continues to cast doubt on our election procedures, and therefore threaten our democracy," said County Board Chair Analiese Eicher.

 

If approved, the committee would be created to review the current security posture of the Dane County election infrastructure, both physical and virtual, county and municipal, and to make recommendations on needed improvements, if necessary, in time for the 2022 election cycle. The resolution indicates that the committee will consider the full range of election security issues, to include not only safety of election staff, but also the security of materials and equipment, and identification of future threats.

 

"Threats to election officials, efforts to seize equipment and ballots, and the sustained effort to sow disinformation about the integrity of our electoral system require us to review how we do our business," said County Clerk Scott McDonell. 　"Does Dane county have the proper procedures, strategies, equipment, and facilities in light of the current environment is the question that needs to be addressed." 　　

 

The 9-member committee would consist of:

 

  • The Dane County Clerk;
  • The Dane County Sheriff, or his designee
  • A staff member of the Dane County Division of Information Management, appointed by the County Executive;
  • A staff member of the Dane County Department of Administration, appointed by the County Executive;
  • Three Dane County Municipal Clerks, jointly appointed by the County Board Chair and the County Clerk;
  • A representative of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Election Center, jointly appointed by the County Board Chair and the County Clerk; and
  • A member of the Executive Committee, appointed by the County Board Chair.

 

The work of the committee will be completed in the coming weeks and months with a report delivered to the County Clerk, the County Executive, and the Executive Committee by May 2022.