Wisconsin Elections Commission leaders go 'On the Issues' at Marquette Law School

October 24, 2016

MILWAUKEE — Mark Thomsen and Don Millis of the Wisconsin Elections Commission will be the featured guests in an upcoming "On the Issues with Mike Gousha," Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. at Marquette University Law School's Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan St.

Both Thomsen and Millis are members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, a bipartisan agency that began operations June 30, with Thomsen serving as the commission's first chair. The commission is one of the successors to the former Government Accountability Board, and has assumed responsibility for administering Wisconsin elections. The November election will be the biggest test yet for the new Wisconsin Elections Commission.

The commission is comprised of six members, who are appointed by legislative leaders and the governor, and are equally divided between the two major political parties. Thomsen is from Milwaukee, is an attorney at Cannon & Dunphy, S.C. and is a Democrat. Millis, of Sun Prairie, is a shareholder in the Madison office of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, S.C. and is a Republican.

During their appearance at the Law School, Thomsen and Millis will discuss the work of the new commission and the upcoming election. Will there be voter confusion because of the lengthy legal battles over the state's voting laws? What's being done to address that possibility, and what rules will be in effect on Election Day and the days leading up to it?

Gousha, an award-winning broadcast journalist, is the Law School's distinguished fellow in law and public policy. His "On the Issues" series of conversations with newsmakers supports Marquette Law School's commitment to serve as a modern-day public square for the city of Milwaukee, the state of Wisconsin and beyond.

Through public programming such as the Marquette Law School Poll, debates featuring candidates in significant political races, Gousha's "On the Issues" conversations with newsmakers, public lectures by leading scholars and conferences on significant issues of public importance, the Law School serves as the region's leading venue for serious civil discourse about law and public policy matters.

Members of the media who are interested in attending should contact Chris Jenkins in the Office of Marketing and Communication.