The Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) voted unanimously Tuesday to deny ballot access to Kirk Bangstad in the Democratic primary for governor, ruling the Minocqua Brewing Company owner failed to submit the required number of valid signatures.
WEC members determined Bangstad submitted only 1,504 valid signatures, falling short of the 2,000 needed to qualify for the August 11 primary ballot. The decision came after staff reviewed his nomination papers and challenges to their validity. Bangstad was among 68 candidates statewide denied access for various offices.
Materials presented by WEC staff ahead of Monday’s meeting, showed Bangstad’s petitions contained multiple errors. Dozens of pages listed Aug. 11 (the primary dates) as the date of the general election. Circulators on numerous pages omitted required information or provided incorrect details, leading entire pages of signatures to be invalidated.
The Commission allowed candidates a brief period to cure deficiencies in nomination papers. Bangstad submitted corrections, but WEC determined in a 6-0 vote that they were insufficient to reach the threshold for ballot access.
Bangstad, a controversial left-wing agitator who sparked national outrage for offering free beer at his taproom the day President Trump dies and other similarly tasteless social media posts, announced a last-minute gubernatorial bid after the Democratic Party of Wisconsin condemned him for lamenting that an assassination attempt against Trump failed in April.
WEC’s decision to bar Bangstad from the ballot is subject to judicial review, though no appeal had been filed as of Tuesday evening.
