WI State Senator Under Recall Hammer Caught in Supreme Court Recount

[deminks]

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/574771/wi_state_senator_under_recall_hammer_caught_in_supreme_court_recount/

WI Senator Sheila Harsdorf (R) is facing a recall election. The volunteers have turned in over 23,000 signatures, well over the 15,744 required. Just 3 weeks ago during the Supreme Court election these same volunteers were out at the polls. in addition to voting they were getting the extra signatures so they could turn in 150% of the signatures required for recall.

Election day on April 5th saw many people at the polls. Volunteers with "Recall Harsdorf - Sign the Petition Here" signs and the Republicans with their "I Stand With Sheila" message worked the crowds as people left their polling location. Over 1,200 recall signatures were collected that day alone, as over 38,000 citizens voted that in just that district.

Harsdorf was not at the polls to face voters that day. Instead Harsdorf chose to vote absentee. Voting absentee is quite simple in Wisconsin. A voter requests an absentee ballot then fills it out and places it in the ballot envelope. The voter and a witness are then required to sign their name to the ballot envelope. It seems like reasonable rules, ones that most voters can comply to with no problems. But not Harsdorf. Instead she returned a ballot in an envelope without a witness signature.

This was not caught on election day, her illegal vote was opened and counted in the original certified result of the WI Supreme Court election. Normally the story would end here, but due to the recount the ballot bags were opened and examined in the presence of witnesses and observers from both campaigns. At this point the illegal vote was discovered.

[undeterred]

1. So the only thing illegal was that there was no witness signature?

[PeaceNikki]

2. Yeah.

Super nefarious.

[undeterred]

4. I can see how you could do that if they mailed it to you.

Usually if I vote early I go to the County Clerk and stand in line, then they sign it while I'm standing there.

But I like to vote on the day of the election so I can see how good the turnout is.

[iwishiwas]

5. She and other Walker poodles are about to pass a bill to get rid of absentee

voting (or curtail it immensely). Instead of opening up the ballot, she and repugs will crack down on it.

[undeterred]

7. So people serving in the military won't be able to vote?

[iwishiwas]

8. There was a separate clause in there that addressed the military because

in the past, WI had to few days to get the ballot to them and get it back in time.

[buddysmellgood]

3. This is why, in Wisconsin at least, it's probably better to go to the polls.

[AleksS]

6. See, the GOP is right, we need tough

voter ID laws to prevent this kind of fraud! :sarcasm: