MADISON, Wis. (WQOW) — A Dane county judge has set an evidentiary hearing for 1 p.m. Thursday to hear arguments over state Senate candidate Michele Magadance Skinner’s residency and eligibility for the ballot. The case concerns Skinner’s voting in Wisconsin and Georgia, claiming a 100% homestead tax credit, and declaring the family’s residency in Georgia.
The Wisconsin State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC) has filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Magadance Skinner from the November ballot and from her seat on the Eau Claire County Board, arguing Skinner does not meet Wisconsin residency requirements.
The lawsuit, filed in Dane County, lists Skinner and members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) as defendants. It argues Skinner is ineligible for both offices, claiming she is not a qualified elector because she does not meet the residency criteria. The SSDC alleges Skinner’s property tax and voting records demonstrate she is a primary resident of Georgia.
The lawsuit states Skinner and her husband own a home in Dawsonville, Georgia, which was transferred to a trust in her husband’s name in 2025. The lawsuit claims Skinner’s husband claimed a 100% homestead property tax exemption on that home last year. To claim that exemption under Georgia state code, the applicant must have a permanent home in the state and must be either unmarried, widowed, divorced, or married and living with their spouse. The lawsuit argues applying for the exemption requires Skinner to therefore be a Georgia resident, and ineligible for office in Wisconsin.
The lawsuit also claims Skinner registered to vote in Georgia in November 2020 and voted in the Georgia Senate runoff election in January 2021. The SSDC claims voting in a different state forfeits Skinner’s Wisconsin residency.
Skinner is running as a Republican for the 31st Senate District against Democratic incumbent Jeff Smith. The 31st District includes parts of Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn, and Trempealeau counties. Skinner issued a statement earlier this month after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported on claims Skinner had claimed tax exemptions in both Wisconsin and Georgia. Skinner then called the accusation a “lie designed to distract voters.”
The SSDC “exists to elect Democrats to the Wisconsin State Senate and acts as the political arm of the Democratic Senate Caucus.” In the lawsuit, the SSDC states it has supported and will continue to support Smith in his reelection campaign. An Altoona resident is also listed as a plaintiff in this case. The lawsuit states that resident supports Smith and has made financial contributions to his reelection efforts.
“My opponent is trying to win this election with insinuations instead of facts,” Skinner said in an Aug. 3 statement. “Here’s the truth: I am a Wisconsin resident. My husband is a Georgia resident, and a 100% VA disabled veteran – that may be a source of confusion, but is not evidence of any wrongdoing. We asked an independent certified public accountant to review our tax records. He found nothing illegal. The accusation that we improperly claimed tax benefits in more than one state is simply false. The accusation that I ‘cheated taxpayers out of thousands of dollars’ is nothing more than a lie designed to distract voters. While my opponent is focused on blatantly false personal attacks, I’m focused on the decisions that affect your wallet. I believe taxpayers deserved the state’s budget surplus back, and I would have supported returning that money to Wisconsin families. Jeff Smith did not, and that’s the difference in this race.”
Skinner is referring to the state budget surplus deal between Gov. Evers and the Republican leaders of the Senate and Assembly that would have used the surplus for public school special education funding and direct payments to Wisconsin taxpayers. Smith and all other Senate Democrats voted against that bill, citing concerns of a budget deficit in the long term.
Skinner responded to the lawsuit in a statement Monday calling Wisconsin and Eau Claire County her home.
“I am a Wisconsin resident. Wisconsin is my home,” Skinner said. “I was born and raised in Eau Claire and spent much of my career in western Wisconsin. I currently serve as an Eau Claire County Board Supervisor and chair the Lake Altoona Rehabilitation and Protection District. My roots in Eau Claire run deep. My husband…is a Georgia resident and maintains a home there. We are a blended family, and like many married couples today, our circumstances don’t fit neatly into one little box.”
The WEC is required to certify the list of candidates to appear on the ballot “no later than the 4th Tuesday in August,” which would be Aug. 25. In the lawsuit, the SSDC claims the Court could order Skinner be removed from the ballot as late as Sep. 2.
Election day is Nov. 3.