The effort by supporters of former President Donald Trump to recall Wisconsin’s top elected Republican, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, has been rejected by state elections officials. The recall effort was launched by Trump supporters who were angry with Vos for his refusal to decertify President Joe Biden’s narrow win in the state in 2020. Vos also did not back a plan to impeach Meagan Wolfe, the state’s top elections official, which further angered Trump supporters. Despite Vos dismissing the petition organizers as “whack jobs and morons,” the recall effort failed to gather enough valid signatures.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission staff found that the recall effort did not collect enough valid signatures, regardless of what district boundaries were used. The effort was complicated by the new boundary lines that were set to take effect in November. The Wisconsin Supreme Court declined a request from the elections commission to clarify which district boundaries should be used for any recall election. Vos, who is the most powerful Republican in the GOP-led Legislature, did not return a message seeking comment, and recall organizers also did not respond to messages.
Recognizing that their initial effort was likely short of the needed signatures, recall organizers launched a second recall effort last month. Trump recently criticized Vos and renewed calls for Wolfe to be removed in an interview on The Regular Joe radio show. Wolfe, who is one of the most respected elections officials in the nation, has faced backlash from Republicans who have tried to impeach her. Vos has blocked efforts by five Republicans in the Assembly to impeach Wolfe, despite Senate Republicans voting to fire her in September.
Meagan Wolfe has served as president of the National Association of State Election Directors and chair of the bipartisan Electronic Registration Information Center, which helps states maintain accurate voter rolls. Despite the attempts to remove her from her position, Wolfe has continued to serve as the state’s top elections official. Vos has faced criticism from Trump and his supporters for not taking action against Wolfe, and the recall efforts against him have so far been unsuccessful. It remains to be seen how this will impact the political landscape in Wisconsin moving forward.
