FACT CHECK: Did Wisconsin’s Legislature Vote To Withdraw 2020’s Presidential Electors?
A post shared on Facebook claims the Wisconsin Assembly voted to withdraw all 10 of the state’s 2020 presidential electors.
Verdict: False
A resolution to withdraw the electors was referred to an Assembly committee but was struck down. No such bill has passed the chamber.
Fact Check:
A Facebook image allegedly shows text from a BeckerNews.com article that claims the Wisconsin Assembly voted to “withdraw” its 10 electors for President Joe Biden. “Wisconsin Assembly Sends Election Shockwaves by Voting to Withdraw 10 Biden Electors,” reads text included in the image.
The Wisconsin Assembly did not make such a move. One state representative, Republican Timothy Ramthun, introduced a privileged resolution to withdraw the electors, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The resolution was referred to the Assembly Committee on Rules but was not passed by the legislative body.
Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, a Republican who also heads the Assembly Committee on Rules, said on Twitter the resolution was “illegal” and “plain unconstitutional.” He added that there was “zero chance” the bill would be voted on. (RELATED: Viral Image Falsely Claims Wisconsin Had More Votes Cast Than Registered Voters)
Disinformation spreads quickly. Here’s what happened in the assembly tonight:
• Ramthun introduced a resolution with zero support (no cosponsors)
• B/c it was a privileged resolution, it has to be referred to committee. It was referred to Rules
• There was no vote on it,— Jim Steineke (@jimsteineke) January 26, 2022
“Disinformation spreads quickly. Here’s what happened in the assembly tonight: Ramthun introduced a resolution with zero support (no cosponsors), B/c it was a privileged resolution, it has to be referred to committee. It was referred to Rules, There was no vote on it,” Steineke tweeted.
Check Your Fact could not find any other bill advocating for the withdrawal of electors on the Wisconsin state legislature website. Ramthun’s resolution does not have any co-sponsors nor does it show as passed by the legislature.
The inaccurate claim was spread by BeckerNews.com as well as The Gateway Pundit, according to CNN. The Gateway Pundit revised its story to say the resolution was advanced to the Assembly Committee on Rules and not passed outright by the Wisconsin legislature. BeckerNews.com has not made any such corrections but does note at the bottom of the piece that “This article contains commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.”
Biden won Wisconsin by over 20,000 votes, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Audits of the 2020 elections by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau and conservative legal group Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty found no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Biden won the 2020 election, winning 306 Electoral College votes to former President Donald Trump’s 232, according to the Federal Election Commission.
