# The Wisconsin audit **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 14, 2021, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516 "2021-10-14T20:45:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2021, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/1 "2021-10-14T20:45:00Z")
The Republican Speaker of the Wisconsin House of Representatives has appointed a former state Supreme Court justice to run the new election audit they’ve decided needs to be done almost a year after the election. The guy admits that he has no idea how elections are run, and has been seen palling around with the MyPillow guy. He’s also already started issuing subpoenas, even to the Milwaukee city clerk, who has nothing to do with elections. > **[Man tapped by Wisconsin GOP to lead vote 'audit' admits lacking 'any...](https://www.rawstory.com/wisconsin-audit/)** > > On Wednesday, The Daily Beast reported that a former state Supreme Court justice tapped by Wisconsin Republicans to investigate the state's election results has admitted he's clueless about the election process."Most people, myself included, do not... ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2021, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/2 "2021-10-14T20:59:29Z")
Well I sure hope they get to the bottom of it. I hope they conduct their year-after-the election audit in a dignified, professional manner that brings respect to the auditors, their families, Ron Johnson, and the great state of Wisconsin. Go get 'em, Wisconsin! (ETA: By the way, who’s paying for the “audit”?) ---
**Author:** ![Julius\_Henry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8797f3/32.png) [@Julius\_Henry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Julius_Henry)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2021, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/3 "2021-10-14T21:16:45Z")
Joe Biden got about 20,000 more votes than Donald Trump in Wisconsin. Biden also got about 64,000 more votes than the Democratic candidates for Wisconsin’s 8 congressional districts got combined. Donald Trump got about 51,000 _ **fewer** _ votes than the Republican candidates for congress got. Voter fraud is not the problem here. Republican voters who don’t like Donald Trump is. But, as the old saying goes, why ruin a perfectly good argument with the facts. I got all my numbers from [Ballotpedia.org](http://Ballotpedia.org), with a little difficulty with the Wisconsin 7th District because they held a special election in May of last year which had me confused for a little while. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2021, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/4 "2021-10-14T21:23:09Z")
Didn’t Trump already have to pay “out of his own pocket” (whatever that means for Trump.) to recount heavily Democratic areas in Wisconsin? Anyway, I suspect without evidence that my toilet is overflowing, and I can’t fix it. I think I’d better get on the phone with someone who doesn’t understand how plumbing works. Am I right, Wisconsin? Go Badgers! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2021, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/5 "2021-10-14T22:29:19Z")
You have to hire incompetent clowns (“Cyber Ninjas” or a buddy who doesn’t understand the election process) because nobody competent wants to touch this with a 10 foot pole. You are not going to ever have audits done by a professional with competence because those people know the futility of running such a thing. Or to be more precise, those professionals won’t do an audit _now_, after the fact when it’s totally irrelevant. The competent audits were already performed all over the country where the elections were close and recounts were necessary to make sure that the election was correct. These audits are the equivalent of filing a frivolous lawsuit and hiring Lionel Hutz just so you can have headlines about lawsuits. (And that was something that also happened, and those cases were dismissed as expected.) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/6 "2021-10-15T18:00:47Z")
Maybe they can get Missouri governor Mike Parson to assist. I understand he’s something of a cyber security expert now. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/7 "2021-10-15T18:08:43Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > These audits are the equivalent of filing a frivolous lawsuit and hiring Lionel Hutz just so you can have headlines about lawsuits. (And that was something that also happened, and those cases were dismissed as expected.) I think you’ve really hit at the heart of it - they know that they won’t find anything; it’s just to get it out in the public’s mind that the elections aren’t safe, and that they should accept the voter repression tactics as necessary security. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/8 "2021-10-15T20:00:00Z")
> [@Julius\_Henry](#): > > Donald Trump got about 51,000 _ **fewer** _ votes than the Republican candidates for congress got. Voter fraud is not the problem here. No, on that scale it’s not voter fraud – it’s meddling with the voting machines to flip those 51,000 votes! /s ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/9 "2021-10-15T20:09:20Z")
> Most people, myself included, do not have a comprehensive understanding or even any understanding of how elections work. The difference is that most of us aren’t being appointed to conduct an election audit. This clearly illustrates the purpose of this “audit”. If the Republicans genuinely believed there had been actual election fraud by the Democrats, they’d appoint a knowledgeable expert to lead the investigation; somebody who does understand how an election works and would know where to look for evidence. The fact that they didn’t think this mattered shows that the Republicans already know that no fraud occurred and there’s no evidence to be found. They’re just spending other people’s money on a piece of theater. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/10 "2021-10-15T20:15:58Z")
The topic of the thread be-as-it-may, Raw Story is not a trustworthy source: > **[PolitiFact | Raw Story](https://www.politifact.com/personalities/raw-story/)** > > PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others on its Truth-O-Meter. > **[Raw Story](https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/raw-story/)** > > LEFT BIAS These media sources are moderate to strongly biased toward liberal causes through story selection and/or political affiliation.  They may > **[Raw Story Bias and Reliability | Ad Fontes Media](https://adfontesmedia.com/raw-story-bias-and-reliability/)** > > Ad Fontes Media rates Raw Story, a news and opinion website, as skews left in terms of bias and as mixed reliability in terms of reliability. That isn’t too say that this particular article is false or misleading, just that it’s a long path and decades of bad decisions layering on top of one another to go from CBS to Fox to OANN. If the article is newsworthy and factual then trustworthy news sources will also report on it - with no loss of content; you don’t need to delve into that middle tier of paranoiacs to find out about these subjects. And, in the long run, you’ll avoid the stuff that wouldn’t be reported on by trustworthy news sources and you’ll just be a happier and saner person. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/11 "2021-10-15T20:22:22Z")
There was a Washington Post article about this, but it was behind a paywall I couldn’t see through. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/12 "2021-10-15T20:26:25Z")
> **[Michael Gableman election investigation updates](https://www.wpr.org/michael-gableman-election-investigation-updates)** > > The man leading a legislature-sponsored investigation into the 2020 election in Wisconsin recently admitted to having little understanding of how elections work. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/13 "2021-10-15T20:27:12Z")
Here are a few links to recent stories about the Wisconsin audit, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (the state’s largest newspaper). They have a paywall, but allow a certain number of free article views per month. > **['Shut this fake investigation down': Attorney general slams GOP election...](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/10/11/key-republican-turns-gableman-wisconsins-election-review/6090608001/)** > > Josh Kaul's criticisms came as a key Republican turned against the review, saying former Justice Michael Gableman needs to be more aggressive. > **[Turning his sights on Evers, Gableman makes election allegations without...](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/10/10/gableman-turns-his-sights-evers-over-criticism-election-probe/6080149001/)** > > The GOP attorney overseeing a review of Wisconsin’s election lambasted Tony Evers for having "an incomplete and misguided view" of what he's doing. > **[Wisconsin election clerks concerned and confused by investigation email](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/14/wisconsin-election-clerks-concerned-confused-investigation-email/8342531002/)** > > Wisconsin election clerks are confused by the first inquiry made by a special investigator hired by Republicans to examine the 2020 election. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/14 "2021-10-18T14:24:05Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > The topic of the thread be-as-it-may, Raw Story is not a trustworthy source Raw Story is a news aggregate. They sure as heck put propaganda spins on headlines, but they are mostly linking to news elsewhere. Which can be very useful when they are quoting stuff that is otherwise behind a paywall or when they are the only source for the transcription of a video. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/15 "2021-10-20T00:49:02Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Raw Story is a news aggregate. They sure as heck put propaganda spins on headlines, but they are mostly linking to news elsewhere. Which can be very useful when they are quoting stuff that is otherwise behind a paywall or when they are the only source for the transcription of a video. As said, it’s a slow walk of cutting corners, trying to get your fix, trying to get out ahead of everyone else on the new scoop and not noticing the drop in quality and fairness over the decades as you walk that road. At the end, there is madness. Other news aggregators exist. You can even create your own, through RSS. I would be quite happy to share my Feedly config. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2021, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/16 "2021-10-20T00:56:00Z")
No thanks, I think I can judge my own news sources without your hand-holding. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2025, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/17 "2025-04-07T22:32:29Z")
Bump: > **[Ex-Justice Michael Gableman would lose law license for 3 years under deal in...](https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/07/michael-gableman-would-lose-law-license-for-3-years-under-deal/82980232007/)** > > Michael Gableman's deal with a state disciplinary board would cost him his law license for three years. > A former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice who cost taxpayers millions of dollars while conducting a fruitless review of the 2020 presidential election could lose his license to practice law for three years under a deal he struck with a state disciplinary board. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2025, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-wisconsin-audit/952516/18 "2025-04-08T00:28:52Z")
Three years? Justice would have him disbarred for at least four years, equivalent to the length of time he tried to inflict us with Trump.