A top Republican election official in Wisconsin is facing calls to resign from his role after boasting about lower turnout last year in Black and Hispanic areas of Milwaukee.

Robert Spindell is one of three GOP appointees on the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC), the six-member bipartisan body that oversees elections in the state. He is also the chair of the Republican party in the fourth congressional district, which includes Milwaukee. After last year’s election, he sent an email to fellow Republicans touting the party’s “well thought out multi-faceted plan” that resulted in a drop in voter turnout in the city, which is home to a majority of Wisconsin’s Black population.

“We can be especially proud of the City of Milwaukee (80.2% Dem Vote) casting 37,000 less votes than cast in the 2018 election with the major reduction happening in the overwhelming Black and Hispanic areas,” he wrote in an email, according to Urban Milwaukee, which first published portions of the message.

The GOP efforts included “Biting Black Radio Negative Commercials”, aimed at Democrats and opening Republican offices in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, according to the email. “Promoting the Republican ‘Cares’ Message; pointing out the many flaws of the Democrat Candidates; coupled with a Lack of Interest, persuaded many voters not to vote,” he wrote.

In a different email, provided to the Associated Press, Spindell also attributed the turnout drop to strong Republican candidates and the difficulty Democrats had in connecting with Black voters.

“The Democratic candidates were unable to obtain – even though they really tried hard – the votes they needed, expected and demanded from the Black Community,” he wrote. “There is still a great deal of much more concentrated work we need to do in the Black and Hispanic Communities by continuing to show how the Democratic Elected Officials and Candidates are not watching out for the livelihoods of the people who live in these areas and the Republicans can.”

Wisconsin is one of the most politically competitive states in America, and the high-stakes battle over voting access that has roiled the state for years. Over the last decade, Republicans enacted new voter ID requirements and distorted the boundaries of electoral districts to cement their power. The state has a Democratic governor, but Republican control over the state legislature is virtually guaranteed because of gerrymandering.

Mark Thomsen, a Democrat who serves on the elections commission with Spindell tweeted on Thursday that he should resign. “My fellow commissioner Bob Spindell has shown he cannot be fair and should resign from the WEC.”

Devin Remiker, the executive director of the Wisconsin Democratic party, also called in Spindell to resign and said the comments were “repugnant” and called on him to resign.

Spindell did not respond to an emailed request for comment. He has said he will not resign. “The last thing I want to do is suppress votes,” he told the AP.

Spindell’s comments amount to “saying the quiet part out loud”, Black Leaders Organizing Communities (Bloc), a Milwaukee group that works on voter engagement said in a statement. “It is incredibly racist to brag about lowering Black and Brown turnout, it is also unacceptable to have these comments and views held by an election official,” the group said in a statement. It urged Devin LeMahieu, the Republican leader in the Wisconsin senate, to rescind Spindell’s appointment to the body.

Spindell is also under fire for his role serving as one of 10 fake GOP electors in Wisconsin after the 2020 election. The justice department is investigating that scheme across the country. He is also a named defendant in a civil lawsuit seeking damages for that effort.