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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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GAB unveils recall signature totals, secures Kleefisch recall election

Recall organizers collected 842,860 public signatures to recall Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, the Government Accountability Board said in a statement on Monday, making it the first official tally confirmed by the board. 

The statement from GAB said the board staff has nullified 29,125 total signatures against Kleefisch, leaving the total well above the 540,208 signatures needed to trigger the recall election. 

The statement also said GAB nullified 25,495 signatures against Walker so far, but said the review is not complete. This leaves the current total signature count for Walker at 905,547, enough to trigger an election but less than the original reports of “over 1 million,” according to the statement. 

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GAB Director Kevin Kennedy said earlier in the recall elections, a Waukesha County judge ordered GAB to verify whether enough valid signatures exist before ordering elections. He gave the board staff until March 19 to complete their review.  

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Graeme Zielinski said it is unclear why GAB continues their review efforts when it is clear that there are more than enough signatures to ignite a recall against both Walker and Kleefisch. 

Kennedy had a different view of the situation. 

“We cannot and will not change the rules in the middle of the game, even if the parties to the recall efforts have made strategic decisions that appear to lessen the GAB’s workload,” Kennedy said. 

Republican Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Ben Sparks agreed with Kennedy in urging that GAB continue their efforts in ensuring the recall elections be held on the same date in order to reduce the escalating costs to Wisconsin taxpayers. 

The statement from GAB said if the board determines there are enough valid signatures on March 19, it would have to schedule the recall elections six weeks and a day later – May 1. If a primary occurs, the May 1 election would turn into the date for the primary, and the general election would take place May 29. 

University of Wisconsin political science professor Charles Franklin said Kleefisch was neither Walker’s nor the party’s choice when she ran in the 2010 primary, and her lack of action or duties makes it hard to determine what this says about the recall efforts against the governor.  
 

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