Supporters of former President Donald Trump, including a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, have submitted over 9,000 signatures aiming to force a recall election of Wisconsin’s top elected Republican, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. This comes after their initial attempt fell short, with the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission needing to determine if there are enough valid signatures for a recall. Petition circulators submitted signatures primarily from Vos’s district where he was recently elected, requiring 6,850 valid signatures to trigger a recall election.
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, working with the group, stated that more stringent efforts were undertaken this time to ensure only valid signatures were collected. Vos, who has criticized those targeting him as “whack jobs and morons,” accused the previous recall effort of engaging in election fraud on a massive scale and anticipated similar problems with the current attempt. He has 10 days to challenge the signatures on various grounds, including potential duplications or inaccuracies in the petition process.
The elections commission has 31 days to determine the validity of the petition, with the possibility for appeals in court. If deemed sufficient, a recall election must be called six weeks later. A meeting on June 27 is scheduled to potentially decide if a recall should be ordered, with the election likely occurring on August 6, just one week before the regular fall primary on August 13. The prospect of more than two candidates running in the recall election could lead to a recall primary on August 6 and the actual recall election on September 3.
In the event of a recall, Vos would lose his office for the remainder of the year as the legislature is not slated to be in session again until January. Vos incurred the wrath of Trump and his supporters in Wisconsin by refusing to decertify President Joe Biden’s win in the state in 2020. Despite multiple challenges and investigations, Biden’s victory has stood firm. Vos further upset Trump supporters by resisting calls to impeach Meagan Wolfe, the state’s top elections official, who has faced baseless accusations of election fraud.
The recall process is complicated by new legislative maps coming into effect for the fall election. The elections commission has sought clarification from the Wisconsin Supreme Court on whether any recall election should occur in the district where Vos was elected or under the new boundary lines for the regular November election. The court, however, declined to provide further clarity on this matter, following a ruling declaring the current maps unconstitutional and prohibiting their future use. The upcoming decisions regarding the recall of Assembly Speaker Robin Vos are poised to have significant implications for Wisconsin politics.
