Wisconsin Elections Chair Finalizes Biden Victory

Wisconsin Elections Commission chair signs the canvass statement Monday, officially confirming Biden as the presidential winner in Wisconsin following the recount. 

It took less than five minutes Monday for the chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission to review the results and sign a canvass statement, an act that officially acknowledges Joe Biden as the winner of Wisconsin’s election following a recount in two of its 72 counties.

The quick formality by Ann Jacobs starts the five-day clock ticking for President Donald Trump’s campaign to file an appeal challenging the results of the recount in Wisconsin. 

“This is a very different process than for the other contests on the Nov. 3 ballot where the WEC chair does determine the winner and issues certificates of election,” said Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s chief election official. “There is no certificate of election in a presidential contest.”

Wolfe said the process followed Monday by Jacobs is the “exact process” followed for the 2016 presidential election when Trump won Wisconsin.   

Trump’s campaign spent roughly $3 million for a recount in Dane and Milwaukee counties, the state’s two largest and bluest counties. According to an analysis by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Trump campaign attempted to throw out roughly 238,000 Wisconsin votes. In the end, Biden still won by roughly 20,500. 

Trump indicated in tweets over the weekend he planned to challenge the canvassing results, and his legal team made no secret during the recount process that it intended to take its case to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 

The Wisconsin Elections Commission meets Tuesday. During the meeting, Jacobs will certify results from the general election that were not part of the presidential recount. On Monday, Dec. 14, presidential electors will meet at the Capitol to cast their votes for president.