Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The state Democratic party says Gov. Walker's involvement, or lack thereof, in the John Doe investigation doesn't meet statutory reasons for establishing a criminal defense fund.
During a conference call today with reporters, state Democratic Chair Mike Tate said he is calling on the Government Accountability Board to look more closely at why Gov. Scott Walker needs a criminal defense fund. Tate cited a state statute that outlines the reasons for a government official or their agent to establish a criminal defense fund: by either being a target of an investigation or pending being charged with a crime. Tate said Walker doesn't meet those benchmarks, based on the governor's own statements. "First he said he hadn't been contacted about the investigation," he said. "Then he's saying he was contacted and is cooperating." The question becomes, Tate continued, whether or not Walker is lying about the corruption probe or …
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Government Accountability Board rejected a challenge filed last week by the attorney for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
All candidates, including those dubbed “fake” or "protest” candidates, will be allowed a spot on the recall election ballots next month. The Government Accountability Board determined Tuesday that six Republicans running as Democrats in an effort to set up elections on the same day throughout the state, are eligible for the ballot, unanimously rejecting a challenge filed by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. The Board rejected the challenge 6-0, leaving in place a list of candidates who will appear on the May 8 primary ballots. In a statement on the Republican Party of Wisconsin's website, Communications Director Ben Sparks said: "We're pleased with today's certification that all protest candidates will appear on the May 8 primary ballot. …
Friday, March 30, 2012
A year after Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill became law, recall petitioners have successfully triggered a recall election of Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.
Enough petition signatures have been verified to trigger a recall of Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, state election officials decided Monday. The state Government Accountability Board voted 5-0 to order the recall election. If a primary election is needed, it will be held May 8. The general election date will be June 5. This is the first time in Wisconsin history a governor is up for a recall election. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, there have only been two successful gubernatorial recalls in U.S. history — against California Gov. Gray Davis in 2003 and North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier in 1921. Of the 931,053 signatures submitted for the Walker recall, the GAB staff found 900,938 valid signatures. And of 842,854 …
Monday, March 12, 2012
The Government Accountablity Board says recalls against four Republican senators can move forward; 25,495 of the roughly 931,000 Gov. Walker recall petition signatures — not 1 million — have been struck.
Election officials are homing in on an early June general election for Wisconsin’s next wave of recall votes. The state Government Accountability Board, the non-partisan agency that oversees elections, met Monday to discuss recall petitions against four Republican state senators, but also to settle issues surrounding recall efforts against Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. While the dates aren’t definitive, the GAB is eyeing a June 5 general election date, with primaries on May 8. The board won't formally approve the dates until petitions against Walker and Kleefisch are verified, as it wants to schedule all summer recalls for the same day. However, the dates still require the approval of a Dane County judge before moving …
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Some fraud allegations were true, some were false, and some complaints will likely yield to an investigation. But there aren't enough to stop the recall from moving forward, state election official says.
The head of the agency that oversees elections in Wisconsin says there have been some instances of fraudulent signatures found on the petitions seeking to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker from office. And with at least three outside groups going through the signatures looking for problems, Government Accountability Board Director Kevin Kennedy said his staff expects to hear even more allegations about possible fraud. While the GAB and other agencies will investigate all such complaints, it's unlikely there will be enough of them to stop the recall from moving forward, Kennedy said in a memo released Friday. "The highly polarized political atmosphere which has engendered the current recall initiatives has also generated a constant buzz …
Friday, March 9, 2012
If the request is granted by a judge, a likely recall primary election would be held on May 15, with the general election on June 12.
The state's top election official plans to ask a judge for more time to review the Gov. Scott Walker recall petitions, which would push the date of a possible recall election back to May or June. Government Accountability Board Director Kevin Kennedy on Friday recommended the GAB board request an push its deadline back from March 19 to April 6. Kennedy said his staff cannot complete its work on the recall petitions against Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch until at least March 30. If the board moves forward with Kennedy's request at its meeting on Monday, the matter would go before Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess on Wednesday. If Niess grants the extension and the recall election was ordered on the newly proposed deadline, a …
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Judge who issued injunction is up for re-election April 3 and signed recall petition. A permanent request for injunction goes to trial on April 16.
Updated at 7 p.m. Tuesday with comment from state Government Accountability Board and calls by GOP to investigate judge. Requiring registered state voters to show a photo ID to cast their ballots on April 3 is on hold. Dane County Circuit Judge David Flanagan granted an injunction Tuesday, effectively blocking the law, known as Act 23. A trial for a permanent injunction begins on April 16. Flanagan is up for re-election April 3, unopposed, and signed a petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker on Nov. 15, the first day signatures could be collected (petition attached in photo gallery). Flanagan has not yet returned a call to Patch for comment, however, the state Republican Party has called for an investigation into the decision. "The very fact …
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Democrats file more than 1 million signatures to recall Gov. Scott Walker, but no candidate or election date have been announced.
After two months of flexing their volunteers' political muscles on the streets, Wisconsin Democrats delivered a powerful first punch in the recall rumble against Gov. Scott Walker today when they filed more than 1 million signatures to recall the first-term Republican governor. Hundreds of recall supporters cheered in the street when Julie Wells, a coordinator of the recall effort in rural Jefferson County, threw up the cargo door of a U-Haul truck containing boxes of the signatures and congratulated the crowd for their two months of work gathering signatures all across the state. “Despite the millions of dollars Walker has raised and spent, we have overcome…We have proven that democracy is alive and kicking in the state of Wisconsin,” …
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The Government Accountability Board also needs $100,000 in software upgrades, an off-site facility and temp workers.
Wisconsin recall elections seem like a pretty sure thing, and to be sure the integrity of the process is preserved, the Government Accountability Board is asking for an extension to review petition signatures. State statute gives the agency 30 days to conduct a review, but the GAB is asking for 60 days or more, according to an Associated Press story. Government Accountability Board Director Kevin Kennedy said the court-ordered, more stringent process is driving the timeline. Completing the verifications in 60 days plus a primary for the gubernatorial race means a May election. Further court challenges or other delays could mean pushing the election(s) to June or later. While 540,000 signatures are required to spark a recall election, state…
Friday, January 6, 2012
All 72 counties responded to a survey that helped the Government Accountability Board compile its numbers.
A recall election for Gov. Scott Walker would cost just more than $9 million without a primary and $17 million with a primary, according to numbers released Friday. The Government Accountability Board reached those estimates after receiving information from the state's 72 counties. The work was done after Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester) made a request for the information. "The costs are significant," said Vos. "We asked for these figures, hoping that if people knew the cost, they would think twice." After learning the recall elections in summer 2011 cost over $2 million, Vos wanted to know what a statewide recall would run. In a letter to the GAB back in October, Vos asked for an estimate, saying he wanted voters informed before petitions …
Steve ®
9:58 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Why was there not a news article written about the John Doe being closed after 2 years and clearing Walker??? There were multiple articles linking Walker to the John Doe over the past years. Barrett even made false accusations during the recall campaign. more ›