Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, one of the state Legislature’s most powerful Republicans, will not face a recall election this fall, the Wisconsin Elections Commission decided Thursday.
In a 4-2 vote, the bipartisan commission determined that close to 200 signatures submitted by the group seeking to force a recall election against Vos, R-Rochester, were collected after the deadline set in state law and should be deemed invalid.
The decision prompted the Racine Recall Committee, led by Republicans frustrated with Vos for not pursuing impeachment of the agency’s nonpartisan administrator Meagan Wolfe, to call for “the immediate dismantling” of the commission.
Democratic commissioner Carrie Riepl joined her Republican colleagues Don Millis, Bob Spindell and Marge Bostelmann in the decision, which brought the total number of valid signatures down to 6,678, below the 6,850 needed in Vos’ old 63rd Assembly District to force a recall.
Organizers behind the recall effort had 60 days, or until May 26, to collect signatures. However, that period ended the Sunday before Memorial Day, meaning the holiday weekend pushed the date that petitions had to be turned in to the following Tuesday, May 28.
The four commissioners determined that roughly 188 signatures collected on May 27-28 can not be counted, with Democratic commissioners Ann Jacobs and Mark Thomsen opposed.
Thomsen argued the motion to reject the signatures — made by Millis, Vos’ appointee to the agency — was based on a technicality and essentially gives “the most powerful person in the Assembly a free pass.”
“If we just do that, this whole state is going to think this whole thing is just rigged to keep power, and we can’t do that,” Thomsen said before the vote.
Millis said recall organizers were notified that signatures collected after the 60-day window would not be counted.
“I disagree with the idea that we’re giving Rep. Vos a pass,” Millis said. “I don’t think we’re denying anyone’s right to recall. It certainly is a close call in terms of the number of signatures.”
Recall organizers said in a statement after the vote the commission “has demonstrated that it is set up to protect those in power rather than to fairly administer elections and uphold election laws.”
The four commissioners determined that roughly 188 signatures collected on May 27-28 can not be counted, with Democratic commissioners Ann Jacobs and Mark Thomsen opposed.
Thomsen argued the motion to reject the signatures — made by Millis, Vos’ appointee to the agency — was based on a technicality and essentially gives “the most powerful person in the Assembly a free pass.”
“If we just do that, this whole state is going to think this whole thing is just rigged to keep power, and we can’t do that,” Thomsen said before the vote.
Millis said recall organizers were notified that signatures collected after the 60-day window would not be counted.
“I disagree with the idea that we’re giving Rep. Vos a pass,” Millis said. “I don’t think we’re denying anyone’s right to recall. It certainly is a close call in terms of the number of signatures.”
Recall organizers said in a statement after the vote the commission “has demonstrated that it is set up to protect those in power rather than to fairly administer elections and uphold election laws.”
The group in March submitted more than 9,000 signatures seeking to recall Vos, but the elections commission denied the request after determining only 5,905 signatures were valid.
Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson earlier this year said her office had fielded numerous calls about possible identity theft from electors who said their names had fraudulently been added to the first recall petition effort.
The recall drive was launched by Republicans frustrated that Vos refused former President Donald Trump’s request to overturn Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election. Overturning the election is not something the speaker is empowered to do under state law and the state Constitution.
Vos further angered the group by not pursuing impeachment of the election commission’s nonpartisan administrator Meagan Wolfe, as some Republicans have demanded.
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