State Feed: Wisconsin

Wisconsin: Democratic Candidates Against Gov. Walker Raise Very Little Money for Recall

AmandaKathryn — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:26:33 -0500

The two Democrats who have publically announced they want to run in a recall election against Republican Gov. Scott Walker have raised almost no money so far.

Walker, on the other hand, has raised more than $12 million since last year and has $2.6 million on hand.

Former Democratic Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk announced earlier this month that she will run against Walker.

Wisconsin: Poll - Gov. Scott Walker Would Win Recall Election

AmandaKathryn — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:11:42 -0500

The Marquette Law School poll of Wisconsin voters released Wednesday shows Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker holding a lead over all four of his potential Democratic opponents in the event of a recall election in Wisconsin.

Mr. Walker is currently awaiting the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board to complete its review of the signatures that were recently submitted by Walker recall activists.

Wisconsin: Signature Review in Recall Election of Governor Walker to Take Longer

AmandaKathryn — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:06:49 -0500

The review of signatures submitted seeking a recall election of Gov. Scott Walker will take longer than the 60 days originally planned.

The director of the Government Accountability Board which is charged with handling the review said Thursday that it’s not clear how long it will take, but it will be more than 60 days.

Wisconsin: Governor Recall Election Will Cost $9 Million

AmandaKathryn — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:41:15 -0500

A recall election to oust Republican Gov. Scott Walker from office could cost at least $9 million.

The state Government Accountability Board asked local clerks to estimate the costs of a possible recall election based on statewide elections in November 2010 and April 2011. All 72 county clerks reported back with a total estimate of $2.3 million. About 92 percent of municipal clerks responded with an estimate of $5.8 million. The GAB estimated its costs at $841,349.

Wisconsin Has Recall Fever...Again

Trevor Ford — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:23:25 -0500

The citizens of Wisconsin are an angsty bunch eh?

It’s now official. Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan will face a recall election after over 4,400 petition signatures were verified by the city clerk:

Wisconsin: Sheboygan mayor will face recall after signatures verified

Trevor Ford — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 14:21:42 -0500

Sheboygan’s mayor is now fighting to keep his job after the city clerk verified there are enough signatures on petitions to force a recall election. In a document prepared for the Common Council, City Clerk Susan Richards says there were 4,481 valid signatures. Recall organizers needed 4,121. Richards said 242 were rejected because they had invalid addresses, such as living outside the city limits, or were duplicates. Mayor Bob Ryan has come under fire after two public incidents involving alcohol. But he says those days are behind him, and talked about that with Action 2 News.

Read the story from WBAY 2

Wisconsin Recall Update

Trevor Ford — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:20:06 -0500

The signature gathering in Wisconsin to recall Governor Walker began in earnest nearly two weeks ago, and already they’ve collected quite a few signatures.

The United Wisconsin coalition claims to have collected 300,000 signatures in just 12 days, which puts them over halfway to the roughly 540,000 needed to force a recall election. When collecting signatures it’s not unusual for some of them to be thrown out as incorrect or unidentifiable. However, even with the bad signatures taken out the coalition to force a recall is off to a pretty effective start.

What do you think? Will those seeking to recall the governor of Wisconsin be successful in their efforts?

The "Other" Wisconsin Recall

Trevor Ford — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:06:43 -0500

The campaign to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker gets most of the media’s attention around the state and country. However, there is another recall effort currently underway in the city of Sheboygan, Wisconsin:

Wisconsin: Recall campaign begins across state

Trevor Ford — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:24:29 -0500

Jubilant opponents of Republican Gov. Scott Walker launched their effort Tuesday to try to recall him from office, starting a 60-day blitz to gather more than half a million signatures to force an election next year. The drive to collect an average of 9,000 signatures a day, fueled by anger over Walker’s successful push to take away nearly all public worker collective bargaining rights, began with pajama parties and other events after midnight. Daytime activities included rallies, neighborhood canvasses and booths set up around the state Capitol.

Read the story from the Washington Post

Walker Recall Campaign Begins in Wisconsin

Trevor Ford — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:18:37 -0500

In what is sure to be a hard-fought and intense process, the recall campaign against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker began yesterday across the state:

Jubilant opponents of Republican Gov. Scott Walker launched their effort Tuesday to try to recall him from office, starting a 60-day blitz to gather more than half a million signatures to force an election next year.

Wisconsin: Mayor faces recall for alcohol related incidents

Trevor Ford — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:26:21 -0500

Embattled Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan has one more thing to worry about. Tuesday, volunteers submitted thousands of signatures needed to launch a recall election. Its now up to the Government Accountability Board to verify 4,100 signatures. While the mayor wouldn’t comment to NBC26, we do know he has requested copies of the signatures.

Read the story from NBC 26

Wisconsin: Re-districting could affect recall efforts

Trevor Ford — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:28:35 -0400

State senators who face recall elections in the coming months will have to run in their existing districts rather than newly drawn ones that favor Republicans, the state’s top elections official said Wednesday. The opinion by Kevin Kennedy, director of the Government Accountability Board, will help Democrats as they try to take over the Senate by launching recall petition drives as early as next month. It also raises the prospect of a fierce legal battle over the issue, as Republicans could ask a court to require the elections in the new districts.

Read the story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Alderman Starting Petition Drive for Mayor's Removal: Updated

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:12:21 -0400

A second effort to remove troubled Sheboygan Mayor Bob Ryan is now underway as one alderman suggests putting the issue to a vote. Alderman Kevin Mati Chek has notified the State he intends to circulate recall petitions against Mayor Ryan.

Ryan, an admitted alcoholic, is under fire for a couple of incidents involving alcohol. The most recent occurred last month, when Elkhart Lake police say he instigated a disturbance at a bar there.

Final two of nine Wisconsin recalls today

Paul — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:33:46 -0400

In all, Wisconsin voters recalled nine state senators, three Democrats and six Republicans, forcing them to stand for new elections. So far, one incumbent D has been re-elected and four of six Rs have kept their seats, with two GOP senators defeated. The last two districts vote today, with two incumbent Democrats on the ballot against Republican challengers.

Wisconsin voters decide unprecedented six recalls on ballot

Paul — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:59:23 -0400

“Unprecedented” is a word that seems to get unprecedented use these days. But today’s six recall elections in Wisconsin, which could flip partisan control of the state senate, truly are part of an exceptional recall effort.

As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

Since 1908, there have been 20 recorded state legislative recall elections held in the United States, according to one recall expert. Wisconsin is in the process of holding nine such elections in the space of a month.

Wisconsin Recall Update

Staff — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:49:00 -0400

The recall battle lives on in Wisconsin this week as state Democrats file a fourth recall effort against Republican state senators.

Not to be outdone, Republicans also filed another two recall petitions of their own today, against Democratic State Senator Jim Holperin, and Senator Robert Hansen.

The next few months are sure to be interesting in Wisconsin politics. If all of the various recall efforts on both sides come to fruition the political landscape in the state could be drastically different by this time next year.

Wisconsin: Recall petition filed against fourth Republican state senator

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:34:08 -0400

Wisconsin Democrats have filed a petition to recall a fourth Republican state senator as part of their ongoing campaign to roll back Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-union legislation. Volunteers filed more than 23,000 signatures to recall Republican state Sen. Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls with election officials yesterday, the AP reports. Petitions have already been filed against Republican state Senators Luther Olsen of Ripon, Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac and Dan Kapanke of LaCrosse.

Read the story from the Business Insider

Wisconsin Recall Update

Staff — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:37:51 -0400

Tensions are still high in Wisconsin over Governor Scott Walker’s budget reform bill. Recall efforts against both Republicans and Democrats are in full swing.

The group running the campaign to recall Democrat Senator Robert Wirch says they have collected enough signatures to get it onto the ballot. Senator Wirch was one of the 14 Democrat state senators who fled the state during the budget battle earlier this year.

Wisconsin: Enough signatures collected to trigger recall election for Senator group says

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:01:23 -0400

La Crosse area Democrats say they will file petitions today with enough signatures to trigger a recall election of Sen. Dan Kapanke, one of eight Senate Republicans targeted over votes to curtail collective bargaining rights for public workers. If approved, it would be just the fifth recall election of a Wisconsin legislator.

Read the story from the La Crosse Tribune

Big Spending Miami-Dade Mayor Booted by Landslide in Recall Election

Staff — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:57:19 -0400

It’s the greatest municipal recall in US history, and the most significant recall election since California voters ousted former governor Gray Davis in 2003. An astounding 88 percent of voters said Tuesday that they wanted to recall Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez from office. According to the New York Times, voters were angry that the Republican mayor of America’s ninth most populous county raised taxes and increased the salaries of his aids at the height of the recession.