Wisconsin GOP Moves To Make Recalls Much Harder
Because, y’know, voters have too many rights when it comes to removing elected officials who refuse to do what is in the best interest of their constituents:
Wisconsin lawmakers are expected to take a step on Thursday to limit recalls of elected state officials to cases of serious crimes or ethics violations, following challenges that targeted the governor and several senators in recent years.
Opponents of Governor Scott Walker launched massive protests at the Capitol in Madison in 2011 and later sought to recall the first-term Republican after he pressed legislation to limit the powers of some public sector unions.
Republicans took majorities in both sides of the Wisconsin legislature and the governor’s office in 2010 and Democrats and labor groups targeted several Republican state senators for recall elections to try to return the Senate to Democrats.
Walker became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall election in 2012 when he defeated Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat, in what amounted to a do-over of their 2010 election. Two other governors, including California’s Gray Davis, were ousted from office through recall.
Under Wisconsin’s Constitution, an elected state official can be forced into a special election for any reason if a petitioner gathers enough signatures within a 60-day period and the official has served at least a year in office.
Republicans want to tighten that requirement, but the proposal must first be approved twice by the legislature and then by voters in a statewide referendum.
