Republican fake elector running to lead election commission

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — One of the 10 Republicans who attempted to cast Electoral College ballot s for Donald Trump even though he lost Wisconsin said Monday he is running to become chairman of the state elections commission where he currently serves as a member.

Robert Spindell has been an outspoken member of the bipartisan commission and supporter of the investigation into the 2020 election being led by a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice. Spindell has also traveled the state giving a presentation he calls “Thirteen Ways the 2020 Election was Rigged in Wisconsin.”

“I am far and away the best qualified for (commission chair) and it would really help the image of the Wisconsin Elections Commission if I am chosen for that,” Spindell said Monday.

The next chair of the commission will hold the position heading into the November election and in the lead up to the 2024 presidential election in battleground Wisconsin. The chair by state law approves the vote canvass following elections and certifies results. The chair also sets the agenda for the commission and can exert influence over how questions are framed, an important power on the board that is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.

The commission scheduled a vote Wednesday to elect the next chair. State law requires the commission chair post to alternate every two years between a Republican and Democratic member who has been appointed by legislative leaders.

The current chair is Democrat Ann Jacobs. That means the next chair must be either Spindell or Dean Knudson, a former Republican state lawmaker, who served as commission chair for two years before Jacobs.

Knudson did not return messages seeking comment Monday. Spindell said he has spoken with Knudson about the chairman post, but he did not know if...