MADISON, WI — Despite recommendations from their own staff, Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) members rejected a second effort to recall Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
The 4-2 decision came during the commission’s regularly scheduled June 27 meeting following a memo from WEC staff recommending certification.
300 signatures for recall collected too late
According to a story from the Wisconsin Examiner, the majority vote included three Republicans and one Democrat, and they reasoned that 300 signatures were collected beyond the deadline of May 27 or 28.
The recall committee was given extra time to file because May 27 was Memorial Day, and Vos’s lawyers argued that extending the filing date was fine, but any signatures collected during the extension should be considered void, the story continues.
According to the article, Democrat Mark Thomsen was a dissenting vote. He argued that the commission set a precedent in 2020 when Tim Michels was allowed on the ballot despite technical difficulties, similar to the current situation with the Vos recall effort.
“At the end of the day, the public is going to perceive this,” Thomsen is quoted in the story. “Is this commission going to give Speaker Vos a pass on some technicality that we ignored every place else? Look, I sat here and I voted to put Mr. Michels on the ballot because I thought we had to have a fair election.”
Republican Don Millis, however, pointed out that the commission was following state statute.
“I think we all try to follow the law, follow best practices,” Millis is quoted in the article.” We certainly have some disagreements on philosophy, and that bears out in the votes, but this is just following the statute, following our guidance.”
Recall committee calls for dismantling WEC
In a press release sent to media following the WEC decision, the Racine Recall committee called for the immediate dismantling of WEC.
“The WEC has demonstrated that it is set up to protect those in power rather than to fairly administer elections and uphold election laws,” the statement reads.
One of the reasons the committee initiated a recall effort against Vos was his refusal to replace Commissioner Meagan Wolfe, and the release addresses this grievance:
Despite our efforts and collecting well over the required number of signatures to force a recall, the commission, led by Commissioner Meagan Wolfe, chose to ignore the recommendations of their own attorneys to certify the recall petition. This action silences the voices of Racine County and denies justice to the voters.
At the end of the release, the recall committee urges voters in the new 33rd assembly district to vote out Vos during the November election.
“Robin Vos, who created the WEC and appointed many of its members, is shielding Meagan Wolfe and the commission’s corrupt practices,” the release continues. “Now, more than ever, it is imperative to vote out Robin Vos and dismantle the Wisconsin Elections Commission.”
This was the second recall attempt after a first effort failed because of an insufficient number of valid signatures.
That first attempt was also complicated by confusion over which legislative district’s signatures were required: the 63rd, where Vos was elected to in 2022 or the new 33rd district under recently adopted legislative maps.
Vos faces two opponents on November 5: Sturtevant resident Kelly Clark is running as an Independent, and former Lake Geneva Mayor Alan Kupsik is running as a Democrat.
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