Current:Home > MarketsEnough signatures collected to force recall election for Wisconsin GOP leader, commission says-LoTradeCoin
Enough signatures collected to force recall election for Wisconsin GOP leader, commission says
View Date:2024-12-23 19:09:52
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Supporters of former President Donald Trump submitted 16 more valid signatures than needed to force a recall election of Wisconsin’s top elected Republican depending on what district the recall should be held in, based on a review by the state elections commission released Tuesday.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission will meet Thursday to vote on whether to order a recall election targeting Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. But the key question for the commission will be whether signatures to force the recall needed to come from the district Vos was elected to represent in the 2022 election, or if they should have come from his district created under new maps in effect for the 2024 election.
If the old maps are used, petition circulators gathered just enough signatures to force a recall, the elections commission staff said. If the new maps are used, they fell more than 3,000 signatures short. The staff took no position on which maps should be used.
The commission’s decision on whether to call the recall election can be appealed to circuit court.
Recall organizers targeted Vos, the longest-serving Assembly speaker in Wisconsin history, after he refused calls to decertify President Joe Biden’s narrow win in the state. Biden’s win of about 21,000 votes has withstood two partial recounts, numerous lawsuits, an independent audit and a review by a conservative law firm.
Vos further angered Trump supporters when he did not back a plan to impeach Meagan Wolfe, the state’s top elections official.
Vos, who has derided those targeting him as “whack jobs and morons,” said in a statement that he was confident the petitioners have not gathered enough legal signatures and will make that argument to the commission on Thursday.
The elections commission asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to clarify whether any recall election should take place in the district where Vos was elected to serve, or under new district boundary lines that take effect for the regular November election.
The court in April declined to further clarify or amend its December ruling that found the current maps to be unconstitutional and barred their future use.
Vos asserted that the recall effort must be rejected because of the Supreme Court’s order barring any future elections using the old district lines. But petition circulators said it can go forward because the state constitution allows for the recall of any incumbent.
Elections staff did not take a side, leaving it up to the bipartisan commission to decide what to do.
If the commission decides to order a recall election, it would be held on Aug. 6. If more than two candidates run in a recall election, the primary for that would be Aug. 6, with the recall election Sept. 3.
The state’s regular fall primary election, where Vos will be on the ballot seeking another two-year term, is Aug. 13. Even if there is a recall election and Vos loses, he would only be out of office through the end of the year. He could win the general election and be back in office starting in January. The Legislature is not scheduled to be in session again until January.
Trump supporters, including former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, on May 28 submitted more than 9,000 signatures to trigger the recall election.
They needed 6,850 valid signatures to force a recall election in the district where Vos was elected to serve. There were 6,866 valid signatures collected from that district.
There needed to be 7,195 from Vos’s new district for a recall, but only 3,807 were collected from that one, the elections commission report said.
In March, the group submitted more than 9,000 signatures, but the elections commission determined that only 5,905 of them were valid.
veryGood! (32134)
Related
- 13 Skincare Gifts Under $50 That Are Actually Worth It
- REI’s Biggest Sale of the Year is Here! Save Up to 60% on Patagonia, North Face, Garmin & More
- San Francisco artist uses unconventional medium to comment on colorism in the Black community
- What the 'Young Sheldon' finale means: From Jim Parsons' Sheldon return to the last moment
- Louisiana asks court to block part of ruling against Ten Commandments in classrooms
- 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards: The complete winners list
- Las Vegas tourism authority sponsoring each Aces player for $100K in 2024 and 2025
- Kendall Jenner Spotted at Ex Bad Bunny's Concert Following Met Gala After-Party Reunion
- Chipotle unveils cilantro-scented soap, 'water' cup candles in humorous holiday gift line
- Arizona woman, 3 North Koreans charged in 'staggering' fraud scheme that raised nearly $7M
Ranking
- Inside Dream Kardashian's Sporty 8th Birthday Party
- Khloe Kardashian Reacts to Kim Kardashian’s “Wild” Met Gala Shoe Detail
- A man killed by Phoenix police in a shootout was a suspect in a fatal shooting hours earlier
- Kelly Stafford, Wife of NFL's Matthew Stanford, Weighs in on Harrison Butker Controversy
- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had mild stroke this month, team says
- The last pandas at any US zoo are expected to leave Atlanta for China this fall
- Deadly storms slam Houston yet again; hundreds of thousands without power across Texas
- New Hampshire Senate tables bill inspired by state hospital shooting
Recommendation
-
4 arrested in California car insurance scam: 'Clearly a human in a bear suit'
-
Scottie Scheffler on his arrest at PGA Championship: 'I was in shock.' He wasn't alone
-
Who's hosting 'SNL' Season 49 finale? Cast, musical guest, how to watch May 18 episode
-
GOP fighting, 50-hour Democratic filibuster kill push to make amending Missouri Constitution harder
-
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson weighs in on report that he would 'pee in a bottle' on set
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Going Deeper
-
US security alert warns Americans overseas of potential attacks on LGBTQ events
-
Iain Armitage on emotional Young Sheldon finale and what's next in his career