The Capitol Report, produced by WisPolitics.com — a nonpartisan, Madison-based news service that specializes in coverage of government and politics — provides a weekly analysis of issues being debated in Wisconsin state government. It is underwritten by the WNA and produced exclusively for its members. WisPolitics.com President Jeff Mayers is a former editor and reporter for the Associated Press and a former political writer for the Wisconsin State Journal.
The strange election-year recall effort targeting the longest serving speaker in Wisconsin history has gotten stranger.
The group seeking to recall Robin Vos has now launched a new attempt targeting the GOP Assembly speaker after the first one appeared to fall short of the signatures needed to force an election.
In a late March filing with the state Elections Commission, the recall proponents signaled they’re targeting the Rochester Republican for his tacit “support of the Chinese Communist Party,” lack of commitment to election integrity, blocking lower prescription drugs costs and
referring to them as “whack-jobs, morons and idiots.” Vos said those things at a recent WisPolitics luncheon.
The new effort comes as the original recall petition is still pending before the Elections Commission. Vos has challenged that effort, arguing it fell short of the valid signatures needed and was rife with fraud.
Backers in a statement said they aren’t abandoning the original effort, but instead are pursuing a simultaneous new effort.
“This concurrent petition drive is not a diversion but a reinforcement of our collective mission. It is a strategic endeavor to ensure that no voice from Racine County goes unheard,” the petitioners said in a release.
A Vos spokesperson didn’t comment on the new filing, instead pointing to his past comments that trying to recall him was a waste of time in an election year with a primary only months away. Vos at the WisPolitics luncheon dismissed those seeking to recall him as “stupid” and “whack jobs,” predicting the effort will fail.
The Rochester Republican added those seeking to oust him as fitting the definition of “moron.” Vos said his volunteers and a private investigator have found a litany of issues such as forged signatures, duplicate names, signatures from at least one person who has dementia and his own name.
“If you believe the people who started the recall, I signed my own recall,” he said.
In the meantime, there’s a question about which district boundaries should be used.
The recall group argues the state Supreme Court needed to first decide which legislative district boundaries the Wisconsin Elections Commission should use in considering the effort.
Vos was elected to the 63rd Assembly District in the 2022 elections. But the state Supreme Court’s December 22 ruling that threw out the previous maps barred the Elections Commission from using those lines for future elections. Meanwhile, the new maps signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers include a provision that they don’t take effect until this fall.
The Supreme Court has directed the parties involved in the redistricting suit to weigh in on a request from the Elections Commission for the justices to decide which lines should be used for
any recall or special elections ahead of this fall.
And a Dane County Circuit Court judge has set oral arguments for April 8 to hear arguments from those seeking to recall Vos that they should get more time to respond to the Assembly speaker’s challenge of the petitions filed against him.
Whatever the lines are, the effort was short of the needed signatures after an initial review.
Backers needed 6,850 signatures to trigger a recall in the 63rd Assembly District that Vos was elected to in 2022. But the Elections Commission originally found 5,905 signatures from that district. The agency also found 3,364 from the 33rd Assembly District, where he now resides under the new map.
According to Vos’ challenge filed, a second Elections Commission review found 5,393 in the old 63rd and 2,758 in the new 33rd.
Meanwhile, Vos argued dozens of sig`natures were problematic, including some that he alleged were collected by convicted felons who may not have completed their sentence. Those with a felony conviction must have completed their sentence to circulate petitions.
In announcing the second challenge, the recall group acknowledged the allegations, saying “it’s clear that while our resolve was strong, the path was fraught with unexpected challenges.” The committee vowed to use new safeguards.
“Our goal is to fortify the integrity of the recall process, ensuring that each step we take is marked by precision, transparency, and trust,” organizers said.
For more go to www.wispolitics.com
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