Why is Donald Trump pushing to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Wisconsin again?
The former President’s attempts to remove Biden from office continued after the Wisconsin Supreme Court enforced new restrictions on absentee voting.
In his latest attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, former President Donald Trump has called on Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to reverse the state’s vote for President Joe Biden.
On Friday the state’s Supreme Court issued a ruling which limits the use of ballot drop-boxes, used to aid absentee voting. Trump has argued that this decision could be used to retrospectively overturn the result of the election which took place 18 months prior.
Wisconsin, like many states, allowed the use of drop boxes to ensure that voters could remain safe during the pandemic. However Republicans have claimed, without providing substantial evidence, that the use of the boxes led to widespread voter fraud.
Trump continues to push electoral fraud lies
Since losing the election to Biden, Trump has relentlessly pushed conspiracy theories about a stolen election and has been accused of pressuring state election officials to overturn the result. Biden secured Wisconsin’s Electoral College votes with a 20,000-vote victory, less than a single percentage point.
“It’s now up to Robin Vos to do what everybody knows must be done. We need FAIR and HONEST Elections in our Country,” Trump wrote. “Speaker Robin Vos has a decision to make! Does Wisconsin RECLAIM the Electors, turn over the Election to the actual winner (by a lot!), or sit back and do nothing as our Country continues to go to HELL?”
The Wisconsin legislature is led by a Republican, Speaker Vos, who has issued a statement in support of the state Supreme Court’s decision. However Vos is yet to comment on Trump’s suggestion that he should reverse the state’s election result.
Vos wrote on Twitter: “Today’s decision demonstrates that the rule of law prevails and the illegal drop boxes are finally going to stop. This is a giant step forward in our efforts to ensure election integrity. Our next step has to be electing a new governor who will sign additional election reforms.”
Republicans seek to impose further restrictions on voting
The verdict issued by Wisconsin’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court stated that absentee ballot drop boxes could only be located in election office and that it must be the specific voter who returns the ballot. This will likely make voting more difficult for vulnerable and disabled Americans.
The state’s Supreme Court is yet to rule on whether ballots returned by mail can be posted by anyone other than the voter themselves, another point of contention for GOP members. Wisconsin Republicans have frequently argued that this practice is rife with fraud, but AP reports that there is no evidence of this taking place in the state.
In response to the Supreme Court’s recent decision, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, issued a statement:
“Today’s decision is another in a long line of Wisconsin Republicans’ success to make it harder for Wisconsinites to exercise their right to vote, to undermine our free, fair, and secure elections, and to threaten our democracy.”