Delegates to the GOP state convention this weekend will consider resolutions calling for protections for those who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and for all Wisconsin elections to be conducted by hand-counted paper ballots.
A resolution proposes backing US Senator Ron Johnson on COVID-19, praising the Oshkosh Republican for a panel he moderated last year in which speakers largely expressed skepticism about the vaccine.
Johnson is regularly accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19. A February poll by Marquette University Law School found that 31 percent of Wisconsin voters trust very or fairly much what the U.S. senator says about the coronavirus and treatment. Sixty-one percent said they have little or no trust in what he says on the subject.
The package of resolutions, obtained by WisPolitics.com, spans the spectrum of conservative concerns from universal school choice to calling for Wisconsin to pass a “stand your ground” law. These laws permit the use of deadly force in public and state that if someone is attacked, there is no obligation to retreat.
The resolutions originated at the local party level before being reviewed by a state party committee. They are scheduled to be elected during the congressional process in Middleton on Saturday. Party activists can submit further resolutions before the plenary debate.
Election administration resolutions include one calling for the firing of Wisconsin Elections Commission staff and for the agency to be restructured to be “truly fair and honest.” Another calls for the agency to be dissolved and for the legislature to be entrusted with electoral administration.
The agency has been targeted by Republicans for criticism of the guidance it provided to local employees ahead of the 2020 election.
The resolution, which calls for the use of paper ballots, claims the recent election has “raised doubts about the accuracy of the use of electronic ballots”. The Legislative Audit Bureau’s review of the 2020 election found that electronic voting machines accurately counted results in the presidential campaign.
Among the resolutions dealing with COVID-19 is one calling for the ban on mandatory vaccinations. It also calls for an investigation into deaths in Wisconsin hospitals “where, rather than allowing the administration of proven and safe alternative treatments like ivermectin” … “dangerous experimental drugs” are being used. Randomized controlled trials have yet to find a beneficial use of ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19.
The resolution, which calls for a ban on mandatory vaccinations, makes no distinction between those for COVID-19 and other diseases. Wisconsin law currently requires students to show they have received the required vaccinations against diseases such as polio or have an exemption from school attendance.
Other COVID-related resolutions argue that national, state and local authorities do not have the power to order disease reductions such as masks or vaccinations. Another says, “No person or agency can fully understand the complexities of the human body or all of the relationships and interrelationships that constitute public health.” It calls public health or environmental emergency orders “acts of rebellion against the letter and the spirit of our free republic and are to be ignored or regarded only as advisory”.
Other resolutions would be:
* Condemn critical race theory and call on the legislature and local school boards to ban its teaching in elementary, middle and high school, and to ban public universities and technical colleges from forcing students to adhere to its principles.
* Call for a law banning physical treatment for minors who want to change their gender. It’s also calling for legislation to “preserve women’s and girls’ sports for biological women.” Legislation banning transgender athletes from participating in high school and collegiate sports passed the assembly this session but was not taken up by the Senate.
See proposed resolutions.
