In an unexpected move, Milwaukee is replacing its elections chief six months prior to this year’s presidential election.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson announced on May 6 he would be replacing Milwaukee Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall with her deputy, Paulina Gutiérrez.
A spokesperson for Johnson said Woodall was not being replaced in connection with how her office oversaw elections, but rather “other issues internal to the election commission office and to city government that raised concern.”
During an interview with WISN-TV’s Matt Smith, Johnson said that Woodall had been offered a different position that currently she has declined to take. He also suggested the timing of her departure was related to cabinet appointments after mayoral elections — he was elected to a four-year term last month.
“It’s more of a personnel matter as opposed to a matter of her technical ability to do her job,” said Johnson.
Woodall, who began working for the commission in 2013, was confirmed as its executive director in July 2020.
Her departure comes less than two months after her former deputy, Kimberly Zapata, was convicted of election fraud after using her work-issued laptop to obtain three military absentee ballots using fake names and social security numbers. Zapata, who says she was trying to expose vulnerabilities in Wisconsin’s election system, sent the ballots to state Rep. Janel Brandtjen.
Zapata was sentenced on May 2 to one year of probation, a $3,000 fine, and 120 hours of community service.
In correspondence with city staff, Gutiérrez vowed a smooth transition, remaining optimistic about the commission’s ability to administer this year’s election.
“Change, especially when it is unexpected, can often be unsettling,” Gutiérrez wrote in a Sunday evening email reviewed by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which first reported the story. “The experience of changing leadership is demanding and uncertain as we navigate uncharted waters and relearn to collaborate and communicate as an organization.”
Gutiérrez also said she “is building a network of people with experience in elections to support our efforts in this upcoming critical election year. … The Mayor has assured me that we will be provided with the appropriate resources as we move into the fall to ensure our success.”
Wisconsin’s last two presidential elections were decided by a margin of less than 23,000 each, with Milwaukee being the center of controversy in each.
In 2020, the state’s Governor Tony Evers attempted to cancel in-person voting due to the coronavirus pandemic, a move that was struck down by the state supreme court.
Woodall came under scrutiny in the aftermath of the 2020 election when an overnight dump of absentee ballots pushed candidate Joe Biden ahead of President Donald Trump. Woodall’s critics have since cited a previously undisclosed e-mail exchange between herself and Ryan Chew from the Election Group as problematic, arguing it could indicate that impropriety may have occurred:
At 4:17 am on the morning after the election, Chew wrote, “Damn, Claire, you have a flair for drama, delivering just the margin needed at 3:00 am. I bet you had those votes counted at midnight, and just wanted to keep the world waiting!”
Woodall responded, “Lol. I just wanted to wait to say I had been awake for a full 24 hours!”
Election security advocates believe Chew using the phrase “delivering just the margin needed” is a tacit admission she delivered only enough fraudulent ballots to push Biden over the top. Evidence supporting the assertion has not yet surfaced, nor has the mayor or election office suggested that the claim regarding the email has any basis in fact.
Independent journalist Peter Bernegger celebrated Woodall’s removal, calling her “corrupt.”
In a post on social media platform X, he wrote:
BREAKING: Claire Woodall-Vogg fired!!!! She is the (was) the most corrupt election clerk in Wisconsin. I took her sworn deposition in a lawsuit I filed against her as Milwaukee City election clerk. She printed 64,000 ballots in the back conference room of City Hall, Room 501. For the Nov.3rd 2020 election. She had city employees and others (CTCL) fill some of those out on the 4th, 6th and other floors of city hall. Then kicked out observers around 10-10:30pm on Nov.3rd. Then brought in large amounts of ballots at 1:15am on Nov. 4th. All illegal, unconstitutional – number one way however the liberals stole the Presidential election in 2020.
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