11/8/2021
Dear Senator Marklein,
It has come to the attention of the Iowa County Republican Party that there has been a recent call from our neighbors in Sauk County for a joint meeting regarding election integrity. We are eager to address and resolve what we can do to hold accountability for past violations of the law, secure future elections, hold accountability for past violations of the law, and equally important, restore faith in the election process.
It is our firm belief that, currently, there is no one single issue more important facing the Republican Party of Wisconsin. Failure to act and produce viable, concrete, demonstrable progress on this issue could cause many currently seated Republican lawmakers to lose long-held positions.
As the Executive Committee of The Iowa County Republican Party, we are closely connected to some of your most active supporters in this area and the theme of Election Integrity has been and continues to be the single most common issue to be brought to our attention. This issue is the issue of our people and your people. This is the issue of the people who put countless hours of work into re-election campaigns, the ones to whom we as the leadership of this party reach out when we need to accomplish goals for the RPW. If we fail to deliver on this issue, we stand to lose the headway we have gained and most importantly to lose the trust of the good people of Iowa County, WI.
In recent days the release of the Legislative Audit Bureau’s findings combined with a recent report issued by the Racine County Sherriff’s Department have highlighted several key issues that have confirmed what so many of us have known to be true: The WEC not only failed to provide sound guidance to County Clerks in the application of the State Election law but knowingly instructed all 72 County Clerks to violate the law. What role the WEC has in the future of Wisconsin’s elections needs to be looked at with great scrutiny and all options must be on the table to deal with this direct, intentional threat to the democratic process of elections in our state.
With all of this being said we would like to strongly urge a gathering of local county parties with yourself and our other elected officials so that we can iron out a path forward.
To this point there has been a glaring deficit in leadership on this issue from within the political structure of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. I personally know of several of our membership who have reached out to your office (and other Representatives/Senators) to petition action on the subpoenas as initiated months ago now by Rep. Brandtjen and the accounts of the responses received from the offices of “our” representatives (including your own) leaves us deeply concerned.
It very well may be that, at one point in the political landscape, it was acceptable for a “top down” imposition of policy and thought to take place. But we wish to officially make you aware that this is no longer the case. The status quo is not acceptable. While we have often been pleased by the actions and stances you have taken on legislative agendas, this type of relationship cannot continue with such little respect to the voice of the people, the forgotten men and women of Iowa County. If there is anything that we have learned from the political process it is how to fight. Donald Trump, for all his controversy, got this one thing right: He fought for the people, and now the people will fight for him. There is no intention to just let the 2020 election steal go. I had long counted you as an ally and someone with a great deal of statesmanship and skill in the political field. But those traits do not make you immune or irreplaceable. The door of opportunity stands open before you to join together with the people, or you can continue to deflect and toe the line from those within the Republican Party who have let their hatred of Trump blind them to the fact all of this is not about him; it’s about the people. He was not ashamed to stand up for us and our cause. He was not embarrassed to associate with us and so he became one of us. Trump’s power is not in him but in the following of small-town Americans who for once had someone to champion their cause in the halls of power. We are waiting for, and looking for, leaders like this here in our state. Will you be one?
The silver lining to all of this is that, at this time, the people of the Republican Party are awake, engaged, and ready to act for the sake of truth. And we are not alone. Mass segments of disenchanted citizens would join us as we would lead the way on these critical issues. It will require courage, vision, endurance, and some good old-fashioned “street smarts.” We are here to tell you that you stand to make great gains if we act decisively and effectively. Alternatively, if no change in the current direction takes place there will only be a growing gap between yourself and the grass roots of the party.
Yours Respectfully,
William J Neal,