Posted on 04/17/2012 9:04:05 AM PDT by knittnmom
The state elections board voted Tuesday morning to allow six Republicans to run as Democrats in upcoming recall elections against Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, and four Republican senators.
The Government Accountability Board said that the six candidates could not be blocked from running under Wisconsin law. The vote followed a board staff recommendation in a memo Monday that elections officials did not have the legal authority to keep the six fake Democrats, or "protest candidates," from the ballot.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin recruited six candidates — Gladys Huber, Isaac Weix, Gary Ellerman, Tamra Lyn Varebrook, James Engel and James Buckley — to run as Democrats in the recall elections. Republicans said the strategy made sure all six primaries will be held on May 8, and the general elections will be June 5.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin attorney Jeremy Levinson filed a complaint with the GAB accusing the candidates and the Republican Party of committing fraud and said they should be blocked from getting on the ballots. He accused the GOP of manufacturing a false primary.
"We need to take them at their word that this was the scheme to manipulate the elections that they told us it was," he told the board Tuesday.
Levinson added that "these kind of shenanigans and swindles cannot be allowed to continue."
But Joe Olson of Michael Best & Friedrich law firm, the attorney for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, told the board that Wisconsin's open primary system allows anyone to run and the elections are about "the will of the electors, not the will of the political elite." And he said there was nothing secretive about the GOP strategy.
"If it's public and obvious, how can it be secret and nefarious at the same time?" Olson said.
The board voted to deny the complaint after hearing from attorneys for Democrats and Republicans as well as Democratic recall candidate Lori Compas, who is challenging incumbent state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, the Senate Republican leader, in the recall, warned of widespread confusion among voters.
"Just this past weekend a woman asked me for some sort of proof that I was the 'real' candidate," Compas said. "She asked me if the ballot would indicate which candidates were fake."
But elections staff said in the Monday memo "that Wisconsin law does not permit the board to deny ballot access to the protest candidates."
GAB staff counsel Mike Haas told the board that Wisconsin election laws do not require candidates to be members of the party they file to run as on ballots, and said elections officials can't investigate the motivations of candidates.
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How does it feel, Dems? A confused lady asking if the word “fake” would be written next to the candidates that the dems don't want on the ballot. This is just too sweet.
They've managed to block voter ID so they can cheat in Acorn style again for this recall. This election is extremely important for this state. Keep the faith folks and just remember, dems. “ We will NOT stand down”.
Back atcha, Dems. Remember the little game you played up in New York in 2010?
Payback’s a bitch, no?
fake Dems?
Is that anything like RINO’s and leftists who run as Republicans because there are so many Dems on the ballot?
Like Bloomberg or David Duke?
Usually fake Republicans get elected too, ask Sen Collins and Romney
Funny thing is, Republicans were honest about what they are doing. The left invented this game and routinely denies its about “fixing” the election.
Anyone have any ideas how we can promote one of the "fake" Democrats to have a chance in the primaries against Barret or Falk?
I don’t think there are any fake dems in the governor primary.
That’s what I’ve been thinking about. Which of the “also rans” should we all vote for? Wouldn’t it be a riot to have Joe Nobody win?
Coming from a Wisconsin union-owned democrat.. ain't that rich??
Thank you.
If his statement were real money, we could ALL retire!
You’re welcome!
:: the strategy made sure all six primaries will be held on May 8, and the general elections will be June 5 ::
Not a move to confuse but a strategy to make certain each recall election would count votes on the same days and not string them out to cause “voter fatigue” (which I assume was the Dhimmicrat/Union strategy).
I know >I< was glad to hear they’d all be at the same time. I’m an election inspector for my community, and wasn’t looking forward to a string of elections!
ROTFLMAO!
Reminds me of a great trick used against Congressman Jack Brooks (dim).
In 1994, Jack had been in Congress for 40+ years. He wielded incredible power, having been a close buddy of LBJ and Sam Rayburn.
Steve Stockman (pubbie) ran against him. Among other tactics, Steve found and recruited another guy named JACK BROOKS to apply and get his name on the ballot. The faux Jack withdrew after some union thugs came after him.
Steve ran a brilliant, grass roots campaign that should be studied by all. Through his church contacts, he recruited hundreds of home school moms who brought their children for a hands-on civics lesson. His campaign had minimal funding but over 2000 volunteers.
Steve was a lightning rod in DC with his zany sense of humor and loud rock&roll blasting down the hallways of the Congressional Office Building.
Sadly, he was ousted in 1996 by vote fraud.
We need more creative thinkers on our side.
I still don’t get it. What other primary would be strung out? I’m not familiar with all the issues in WI.
I still don’t get it. What other primary would be strung out? I’m not familiar with all the issues in WI.
Not a primary. Recall elections.
If the several elections were separated and held on different days, the strategy would be that by the time the second or third election rolled around, most voters would be fatigued. The union members would then make up the majority of voters in those elections.
Many union members get to take an entire election day off, paid. So, they sleep in, go vote and head for the bar/liquor store and spend the rest of the day drunk as Susan Estrich.
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