The Wisconsin Elections Board voted 7-1 Wednesday to remove state Senator Gary George from the primary ballot for governor after concluding that his nomination papers contained invalid signatures.

Prosecutors identified 231 unsound signatures on George’s papers, causing him to fall short of the necessary 2,000 in order to qualify to be on the primary ballot.

George left the courtroom without commenting on the board’s decision.

George’s review came after UW-Madison student Daniel McMurray filed a complaint on July 12 and hired Milwaukee document examiner Bonnie Schwid to review questionable signatures. McMurray refused to answer questions from the board about how he paid Schwid’s $175 an hour fees.

After receiving the complaint the board heard from McMurray, Schwid, a certified document examiner and three people whose names and addresses appeared on nomination papers they did not sign. On July 18 the board decided to keep George on the ballot while asking prosecutors to investigate possible forgeries, which they later found.

An investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also found invalid signatures, with at least one of a dead man.

Prosecutors said the invalid signatures fall under four categories: signer did not sign; no one at address signed; no such address/business address; or name and address were too illegible to be verified.

Joel Gratz, a campaign volunteer for George’s Democratic primary challenger U.S. Rep Tom Barrett, assisted McMurray. Gratz was also a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala, who is supporting Barrett’s run for governor. Although he and George have long been public enemies, Chvala has denied involvement in the complaint.

The senator’s attorney, former Elections Board member Mark Sostarich told the Capital Times the campaign had “no knowledge” of the improper signatures.

Elections Board director Kevin Kennedy, who wrote to board members recommending George’s removal, said it was campaign?s responsibility to make sure the petitions were collected properly.

“The campaigns have a responsibility to make sure workers know how to do the job right,” Kennedy said.

The campaign was not surprised by the board’s decision, Sostarich said, and they may take action when it’s determined who was responsible for the invalid signatures.

After hearing the board’s decision George’s democratic primary challengers expressed their disappointment.

“I feel badly for Gary, because he’s run a strong campaign,” said Dane County Executive and Democratic candidate Kathleen Falk. “People are sick of meanness in politics and they want leaders who can bring people together, solve problems and get the job done.”

Attorney General Jim Doyle, another Democratic candidate, feels George was not given a chance to tell his side of the story.

“Before this is concluded, I hope that the whole story on this incident sees the light of day,” Doyle said.

George also ran for governor four years ago, but was defeated in the primary by Madison Democrat Ed Garvey.

Elections Board member John Savage was the only member who voted against removing George’s name, saying the board acted rashly.

“Very, very few candidates are subjected to the scrutiny that Sen. George’s campaign has been,” The Capital Times reported. “If everyone were, I suspect instead of having 400 candidates running for office, the number would drop to around twelve.”

Minority leader Jerry Ann Hamilton, executive director of the NAACP, labeled the decision racist and said her organization will pursue the possibility of getting George, an African American, to run as an independent write-in candidate.