(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Democracy Defense Project is applauding the Wisconsin Elections Commission report that showed former Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl broke the law by leaving 193 absentee ballots uncounted during the 2024 general election.
The group includes former Wisconsin lawmakers from both sides of the aisle including former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, former Attorney General JB Van Hollen, former U.S. Rep. Scott Klug and former Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate.
The group works across several states, saying it “will work to defend the transparency, safety, security and validity of our nation’s electoral system.”
“Everyone in Wisconsin should sleep easier knowing just how thoroughly our elections are being vetted,” the group said in a statement. “This instance of 193 missing ballots, while a stain on the Madison City Clerk’s office, is an example of the vetting procedures in place working to verify every single vote cast in our elections.”
The WEC report called Witzel-Behl’s actions a “profound failure” that undermines public confidence in elections.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway suspended Witzel-Behl from her role as clerk after the election, and she then resigned in April.
“Municipal and county clerks across the state will benefit from the findings of this report, ensuring that no further ballots can fall through the cracks,” Democracy Defense Project said. “Voters can rest assured, if this is the process in place to verify what happened to 193 absentee ballots, there is no feasible way that bad actors could thwart our election system to the tune of tens of thousands of ballots.”

(The Center Square) – The University of Wisconsin System’s Board of Regents approve a 5% tuition increase for in-state undergraduate tuition for most of the UW campuses, leading to questions from several lawmakers who voted for a recent increase in the schools’ funding in the Wisconsin budget.
The new Wisconsin budget included a two-year $256 million budget increase with the schools receiving $1.13 billion in capital budget and $316 million for operational budget.
“The last two tuition increases have been done in early spring so incoming students have complete information before the deadline to commit to a university; now, committed students are facing a shock tuition increase,” Senate President Mary Felzkowski said in a statement. “Why is this year different? They had to first secure those billion dollars in the budget!”
The plan calls for a base 4% undergraduate tuition increase with an optional 1% increase that will be used by all of the schools except UW-Green Bay, University of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said.
UW-River Falls, meanwhile, will see a 5.8% increase.
A recent audit showed an increase in staff and salaries over the past 10 years in the UW System while student enrollment has dropped by 16,000.
“Instead of simply returning their staff-to-student ratio to what it was 10 years ago, UW chose to resist reform, demanding more and more from the State and its students,” Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, said in a statement.
Both Wimberger and Felzkowski also point to issues in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Education Achievement that led to an audit finding “concerning” decisions made in the department including lump sum awards to 85% of staff in late 2023 amounting to $218,750 without consultation.
“On top of it all, UW-Madison is now undertaking a media campaign to promote dismantling their DEI department,” Felzkowski said. “Don’t be fooled – the positions have simply been moved to other departments. The timing of the state budget, the tuition increase, and the false DEI media campaign is not coincidental.”

(The Center Square) – Authorities and family members have put together the pieces from two crime scenes, and believe they add up to a murder-suidice involving one of the Wisconsin State Patrol’s top officials.
The Dane County Medical Examiner’s Office this week identified David and Teri Pabst as the victims of a double homicide in Middleton ay.
The sheriff in Vernon County then identified their son, James, as the man who killed himself during a standoff later the same day.
On Thursday, the Pabsts’ daughters said it appears her brother killed her parents, fled, and eventually killed himself.
The sheriff’s office said deputies and officers from the Viroqua Police Department stopped James Pabst and said he “refused to cooperate with verbal commands.” That led to a standoff, which ended with James Pabst taking his own life.
The Dane County ME’s office has not yet said how the older Pabsts died. There is also no motive for the Pabsts’ killings.
The Pabsts’ daughters released a statement.
“They were proud grandparents to seven grandchildren and the most loving parents to all five of their children,” the statement said. “If you were lucky enough to have encountered them in your life, you know what kind, generous, and empathetic people they were.”
David Pabst was the Bureau of Transportation director for the State Patrol, a job he held since 2013. Before that Pabst was a trooper, an inspector, a lieutenant, and finally a captain at the State Patrol headquarters in Madison.
“Our dad was proud to come from a long line of public servants in the state of Wisconsin,” his daughters said in their statement. “He truly had a passion for keeping people safe on the roads of Wisconsin. He was the type of person who would drop everything to help someone in need. He showed up for people on their worst days and his compassion was
unmatched. His impact was felt all around the state and will continue to be for a long time.”
Teri Pabst was a teacher, and spent her entire career in schools, including Madison Metropolitan Schools and the schools in Middleton.
“Our mom thrived when she could make a difference in the life of a child. Please know that if you ever worked with her or had a child who was lucky enough to be taught by her, that our family heard daily about how proud she was of you,” her daughters added.
There’s no word when the Dane County ME will announce a cause of death in the Pabsts’ killings. Their autopsies took place Wednesday, but the ME’s office said it is waiting for test results.

(The Center Square) – Legislation to prevent suspended judges from collecting their salaries was introduced in the Wisconsin state Legislature on Thursday.
The bill comes in light of Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan’s suspension by the state Supreme Court after federal prosecutors said she helped an illegal immigrant sneak out of her courtroom to avoid ICE agents.
According to bill co-author Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Gibson, Dugan is still receiving pay.
“The suspension of a judge is a very serious and rare action,” Sortwell said in a statement. “Judge Hannah Dugan was suspended by the the Wisconsin Supreme Court while her criminal proceedings are ongoing, however, she is still collecting her pay. The taxpayers will have to fund an extended vacation for her, while already paying for reserve judges filling in.”
Sortwell also cited Dane County Circuit Court Judge Ellen K. Berz, who was suspended by the state Supreme Court for seven days following a finding of judicial misconduct.
Berz had attempted to retrieve a hospitalized defendant by driving to the hospital herself to bring them to court.
According to the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, from 1978 to 2024, the state Supreme Court has only suspended 15 judges.
“We want to make sure the public has confidence in the courts of Wisconsin during pending criminal proceedings for judges,” bill co-author Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, said in a statement. “This is important legislation to ensure that there are not unjust rewards for judges who are suspended.”
Circuit court judges, like Dugan and Berz, have annual salaries of up to $174,512, according to Legislative Reference Bureau.
A co-sponsorship memo from Sortwell and Tomczyk noted that Dugan’s court date extension, which could leave her trial pending until later this year or even next year, would allow her to continue receiving her salary indefinitely.
Dugan pleaded not guilty to the two federal charges she is facing. She could spend up to six years in prison if convicted.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources is set to proceed with a marsh dredging project that Gov. Tony Evers had previously vetoed funding for.
The announcement came after Evers’ veto stopped a $70,000 Legislature-approved provision from funding a project to assist farmers and residents along the Manitowoc River.
Lawmakers previously said a veto without any promise of future funds would put more than 100 farmers and other residents at risk of annual flooding due to a river backup.
However, Wisconsin’s DNR says the project was in the works for “months” and did not need the Legislature’s funds in the first place.
“As the Evers Administration had already worked to secure the necessary resources to move this project forward, Gov. Tony Evers last week rejected a last-minute effort by the Wisconsin State Legislature that would have changed the funding source for this project, opting instead to use existing state resources the administration had already spent months planning to use on the wetland project,” Wisconsin’s DNR said in a statement.
DNR explicitly called the Legislature’s budget earmark “unnecessary,” claiming it was removed from the budget by Evers to ensure “available funding sources can be maximized for high-priority environmental management work.”
However, in his veto message, Evers only cited the Legislature’s decision to discontinue the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship program as the basis of his veto, but did not mention continuing the dredging project through separate funds, as the DNR said.
Evers’ veto immediately drew criticism from Calumet County locals, Fox 11 News reported.
Sen. Andre Jacque, R-New Franken, whose district encompasses the Brillion marsh, said credit for the project’s resuming belonged to locals who pressured the DNR to continue the project after the governor’s veto.
“While it’s clear the Governor needed to save face once the public became aware of the impact of his political games, today’s announcement by the DNR proves how false, contradictory, and concocted both his veto message and his administration’s prior communications to legislators and residents regarding this project really were,” Jacque said in a statement.
Rep. Ron Tusler, R-Harrison, whose district also includes the marsh, agreed, saying “Any attempt by the Governor to now take credit for this project is disingenuous.”
The project is expected to begin with the help of a private contractor, with dredging to begin in 2026.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin ranks 33rd in mean household disposable income and 30th in mean household personal income, according to new numbers released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The average personal household income in the state in the most recent data from 2023 was $154,365 with $137,388 counted as disposable income, or the money taken home after taxes.
The median personal household income, meaning the midpoint instead of the average in order to adjust for high-end earners, was $106,946 with $101,388 considered disposable income after taxes.
Wisconsin has fallen mildly over the 12 years of data as the state fell from 16th in median income in 2013 to the current ranking of 26th amongst states. Mean personal household income remained similar at 29th in 2013 and 29th in 2023.
When the data was all adjusted to 2017 dollars, Wisconsin household personal income went from an average of $117,606 in 2012 to $137,612 in 2023 while the median went from $75,766 in 2012 to $106,946 in 2023.

(The Center Square) – A new lawsuit seeks to upend Wisconsin’s congressional congressional district maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with plaintiffs urging the courts to throw out “anti-competitive” maps they say disadvantage voters.
The case comes after the state Supreme Court declined to hear two other lawsuits that sought redistricting before 2026.
Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy, the plaintiffs in the case, filed the lawsuit in the Dane County circuit court, not in the state Supreme Court where the earlier attempts at redistricting had been rejected.
According to the lawsuit, the current maps violate the Wisconsin constitution by disadvantaging certain groups of voters relative to others and making races “anti-competitive.”
“Anti-competitive gerrymanders are every bit as antithetical to democracy, and to law, as partisan gerrymanders and racial gerrymanders,” the lawsuit says. “This is because electoral competition is as vital to democracy as partisan fairness.”
The lawsuit points to recent electoral history as evidence, with seven out of eight congressional districts under the 2022 maps producing margins of victory greater than 20 percentage points, and five districts having produced a margin exceeding 30 points.
Only the 3rd district, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisconsin, has seen races decided by fewer than 10 points, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit says that because the current maps were chosen by the state Supreme Court based on a “least change” approach, they “perpetuated” the maps imposed by Act 44 in 2011 after the 2010 census.
The goal of those maps, according to the lawsuit, was not just partisan advantage but mutual, bipartisan incumbent protection – creating maps with deliberately uncompetitive districts to insulate Wisconsin’s U.S. representatives.
Notably, before the 2011 maps took effect, Democrats held five of Wisconsin’s eight U.S. House seats compared to three for Republicans.
Today, Republicans hold six seats, with only two, held by Van Orden and U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisconsin, being considered competitive.
“An anti-competitive gerrymander occurs when elected officials work in concert to draw district lines to suppress electoral competition, thereby benefiting incumbent politicians to the detriment of voters,” the lawsuit says. “Candidates prevail by larger margins, fewer districts are competitive, and less legislative turnover occurs, undermining core democratic values of accountability and responsiveness.”
The lawsuit names the Wisconsin Elections Commission as the defendant in the case.
WEC did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment at the time of publication.

(The Center Square) – More Wisconsin students are taking dual enrollment courses than before with 78,703 students taking dual enrollment courses with the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Technical College, according to a new report from Wisconsin Policy Institute.
The numbers are a 3.4% increase from a year before and represent 26.6% of the state’s public school students.
Dual enrollment allows high school students to earn college credit while taking courses at their high school to enter post-secondary school after graduation with college credit already earned.
More high school students are both offered and taking the courses as the costs of college continue to increase, including a 5% resident undergraduate tuition increase in the University of Wisconsin System expected to be approved on Thursday.
“Providing students with opportunities for college or university coursework is a priority for Wisconsin, as demonstrated by its inclusion on the state’s school report cards and its popular adoption across high schools,” the report said. “Dual enrollment is the most widespread of these programs and has been steadily growing for the past decade, perhaps due to the range of benefits that dual enrollment programs offer students and schools.”
The Wisconsin Technical College dual enrollment program currently has four times the students at dual enrollment through the University of Wisconsin. But the University of Wisconsin program grew at a 12% year over year rate for 15,588 students, faster than the technical college program growth, which grew 1.5% to 63,115 students, according to the report.
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses are counted separately but can also lead to college credit.
Another issue detailed in the report is the availability of the courses in schools, with larger and higher income schools having more course offerings.
Numbers from 2023 show that 85.7% of public high schools had dual enrollment, 73.9% had AP courses and 68.4% offered both.
Just have of high schools with 75% of students identified as economically disadvantaged offered dual enrollment but 91.1% of school where less than 25% had the same household designation had dual enrollment offerings.
Urban schools had a 19.7% dual enrollment participation rate while suburban schools had 28.3% participation, towns had 30.1% and rural communities had a 27.6% participation rate.
“Schools that offer no postsecondary opportunities, which are usually small and have high rates of poverty, may want to consider how they could work with the college systems to begin their own dual enrollment programs,” the report said. “Small schools would gain access to more resources and class offerings, and students from schools with high poverty rates could benefit from reduced educational costs and job-related training opportunities.”

(The Center Square) – The National Right to Work Foundation has filed an amicus brief in support of an appeal of a ruling that overturned Wisconsin’s Act 10.
The brief contends that Wisconsin “can define and limit the parameters of exclusive representation as it sees fit” and union monopoly bargaining power is not a “right” allowed by the Wisconsin or U.S. Constitution.
The brief also states that the Dane County Circuit Court did not consider if it could expanded the pro-employee liberty provisions to cover all public departments in the law as a solution to correct the alleged imbalances the court said it saw.
Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty client Kristi Koschkee previously filed a motion to intervene in the appeal.
Act 10 limited most public sector union contract negotiations to salaries only and capped those salary increases to the rate of inflation after being signed into law in 2011 by then-Gov. Scott Walker.
The law, however, was overturned in December and an appeal of that ruling was filed.
Act 10’s biggest impact was on teachers’ unions and law supporters say those limits, along with other reforms, have saved Wisconsin taxpayers between $18 billion and $31 billion since 2011.
“Act 10 is a simple recognition that voters and taxpayers – not unelected union bosses – should be in control of how the public services Wisconsinites fund are managed,” National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix said in a statement. “But the union boss attempt to nix it is an even more egregious attack on Wisconsin public workers, who under union officials’ proposed regime would be forced to sacrifice to unions the right to freely choose who will speak for them on workplace matters.
“Even convicted felons have the right to choose their own representation, but union officials seek to deny this right to dissenting public employees.”

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s new state budget may not help with the top issue for voters in the state.
The Institute for Reforming Governor released the results of a new poll that says wasteful state spending is the number one issue for voters in the state.
“Eight-one percent of all voters (67% Dems, 94% GOP, 85% Independents) said cutting wasteful state spending was more important than the 14% who choose increasing state tax revenue,” IRG said in the poll.
The poll added that 50% of Wisconsin voters disapprove of state spending growth over time, compared to 38% who approve.
The new state budget adds more than $12.5 billion in new spending, and comes with a $111 billion, two-year price tag.
IRG’s poll said a lot of voters would have liked to have gone the opposite way.
65% of all voters (46% Democrats, 83% GOP, 60% Independents) favored cutting
state spending
59% all voters (40% Democrats, 78% GOP, 56% Independents) favored freezing
state spending
70% all voters (59% Democrats, 81% GOP, 65% Independents) favored limiting
state spending increases to inflation plus increase in population
The poll says health care is the second most important issue for Wisconsin voters.
“When it comes to health care, the biggest concerns are the high cost of health care and high cost of insurance,” pollsters said.
The poll notes that 22% of all voters in the state say health care is the top priority.
While Gov. Tony Evers couldn’t get his long-sought after Medicaid expansion, lawmakers did agree to a hospital assessment tax that will be used to supercharge Medicaid reimbursement in Wisconsin.
IRG says the poll was conducted in cooperation with Napolitan News Service and Scott Rasmussen in 2025, with the focus in this poll on what Wisconsinites want to see from policymakers.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers recently signed a bill to create an exception to the state’s tax incremental financing rules for data centers in Port Washington and Beaver Dam.
The bill, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 16, grants an exception to the state’s 12% cap on the amount of total municipal property value that can be included in TIF districts, as long as the new project costs are strictly related to certified data centers.
Under the exception, municipalities can use the future growth in property tax revenue generated within the district solely to cover data center-related costs, The Center Square previously reported.
Evers and lawmakers alike hope the act will incentivize companies to build data centers in both cities.
“Wisconsin’s tech industry is growing and bringing with it countless family-supporting jobs, economic development opportunities, and substantial capital investments in our local communities,” Evers said in a statement. “This bill will help these two communities compete for new data centers, bolster our local communities, and build upon our work to build a 21st-century workforce and economy.”
A planned data center in Port Washington is expected to be built and could open before the end of the year.
Additionally, Meta is discussing a nearly $1 billion data center in Beaver Dam, Bloomberg reported.
However, there are concerns that tax exemptions for data centers might not always benefit a community.
According to a report from Good Jobs First, at least 10 states are currently losing $100 million or more in taxes from data centers, The Center Square reported.
The Center Square also reported a poll by Libertas Network that showed a majority of U.S. voters oppose data centers being built in their community, and even more oppose the data centers if tax incentives are awarded to have them built.
However, Evers touted the act’s overwhelming bipartisan support in his statement, with the bill having passed the Wisconsin state Senate 28-3 and the Assembly 91-6.

(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin Elections Commission investigation has found former Madison City cCerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl broke the law by leaving 193 absentee ballots uncounted during the 2024 general election.
The investigation’s results, released Wednesday, condemned Witzel-Behl for not counting the ballots upon discovering them, even though there was still time left to include them in the final tally.
Instead, after learning about the ballots, she had gone on vacation.
WEC said Witzel-Behl’s actions were a “profound failure” that undermines public confidence in elections.
“The lack of action by the city clerk with regard to the found ballots is astonishing,” WEC commissioners said in a letter about the investigation’s findings. “She demonstrated no urgency, let alone interest, in including those votes in the election tally. That would have required the city clerk to take the urgent action that the situation demanded.”
While WEC blamed Witzel-Behl, the report also found her staff and deputy were also to blame for letting the ballots go uncounted.
“There was a complete lack of leadership in the city clerk’s office,” WEC said. “It was the job of the city clerk to immediately take action once notified about the found ballots, and she did nothing. It was the responsibility of the deputy clerk to take action in her absence, and he did nothing.”
WEC said Witzel-Behl treated the ballots as “unimportant and a reconciliation nuisance,” rather than as a part of the democracy they represent.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway suspended Witzel-Behl from her role as clerk after the election, and she then resigned in April.
Michael Haas, the city’s acting clerk, said the city cooperated with WEC throughout the investigative process.
“I want to thank Commissioners and WEC staff for conducting a thorough inquiry into this matter, as well as City staff who provided documents and testimony,” Haas said in a statement. “We are currently reviewing WEC’s report and hope that it can provide lessons that we and other Wisconsin clerks can learn to prevent similar errors in the future.”
Haas added that city officials may have additional comments and recommendations on the investigation’s findings at an upcoming WEC meeting July 17.

(The Center Square) – A recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that stripped the state’s Joint Committee of Review of Administrative Rules from blocking or suspending agency rules is drawing sharp reactions from state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
The court’s 4-3 ruling sided with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and executive agencies over Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, the lead respondent in the case on behalf of the Legislature.
The court declared that the committee cannot pause, object to, or suspend rules unless the Legislature passes a bill, calling the current process unconstitutional.
Legislators responded with familiar partisan accusations of overreach against both sides.
“The recent Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling stripping the Legislature’s ability to oversee administrative rules is a dangerous overreach that undermines the foundational checks and balances in our state government,” Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, a member of the committee, said in a statement.
Tomczyk said the ruling upends decades of precedent and hands “unelected bureaucrats” unchecked power.
“By stripping this oversight, the Court has effectively handed unilateral rulemaking authority to the executive branch, cutting the elected representatives of the people out of the process entirely,” Tomczyk said. “This is not just a procedural change. It is a direct blow to representative government.”
However, Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, who also sits on the committee, lauded the court’s ruling.
“Under Republican rule, JCRAR and other committees have abused their power, unconstitutionally working to prevent the executive branch from carrying out our laws,” Roys said. “The legislature has the power to pass laws – not veto them after enactment.”
Roys cited PFAS contamination and election security as some of the “pressing problems” that Republicans used the committee to prevent the executive branch from addressing.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, called the ruling a “disappointing decision” and accused the court of removing oversight from the people’s elected officials.
“Administrative rules touch many facets of our lives, such as business regulations, license renewals, building projects, wetland mitigation, and more,” Vos said. “The absence of oversight from elected representatives grows government and allows unelected bureaucrats to increase red-tape behind closed doors.”
He added, quoting Justice Rebecca Bradley’s dissent, “Progressives like to protest against ‘kings’ – unless it is one of their own making.”
A spokesperson for Marklein’s office declined to respond for comment.