Robin Vos critics say they have collected sufficient signatures to force a recall election
MADISON – Organizers of an attempt to oust Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos on Monday submitted more than 10,700 signatures to the Wisconsin Elections Commission to force a recall election, which will proceed as long as at least 6,850 of them are valid.
Matthew Snorek of Burlington launched the recall effort in January over Vos' criticism of former President Donald Trump and his unwillingness to impeach the state's top election official over the 2020 election. Snorek told reporters in Madison he believes Vos is "the most corrupt member of the Wisconsin Assembly ever."
"I stand before you honored to represent not just Racine County, but all Wisconsinites ready to end Vos' era of corruption, tyranny and secretive dealings," Snorek said during a news conference before submitting the signatures.
Vos, who has been speaker for 10 years and represented the southeastern Wisconsin 63rd Assembly District since 2005, is the most effective Republican in the GOP-controlled state Legislature but has faced fierce criticism from members of his own party in recent years over his rejection of calls to decertify the 2020 election, which has been impossible as long as supporters of Trump have called for the idea.
The attempt to recall Vos came after a Racine County-based group focused on 2020 election conspiracies ran television ads threatening to unseat the speaker if he did not advance articles of impeachment against Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe — an effort Vos has blocked.
"It’s truly sad that a group of people who didn’t get their way in the 2020 election are wasting resources and effort working with Democrats to settle a political score rather than better using their time to defeat our ineffective Democrat President," Vos said in a statement. “While I believe my conservative record speaks for itself, I hope Republicans in Racine County will reject this misguided effort on principle alone."
The signature filing comes days after the state Supreme Court declined to weigh in on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' request to clarify whether the state's new legislative districts apply to elections held before November, leaving potential questions about how election officials will address the proposed recall.
Snorek told reporters he is not planning to run for the seat, and there is currently no named candidate associated with the recall effort. He said he is "very confident" that organizers collected enough valid signatures from Vos' district, but acknowledged that other organizers may have pursued signatures from other areas.
"We have signatures coming in from multiple avenues, four or five different ways, so I cannot necessarily guarantee that with all those moving parts — this was a monumental task. It was kind of like trying to herd cats at moments," Snorek said.
Filed signatures will be posted online by the elections commission. Vos can challenge the sufficiency of petition within 10 days of its filing. Ultimately, the bipartisan commision's six members will determine whether the recall may proceed.
"Given that almost every person in Racine County — not just those living in the 63rd district — has been accosted by out-of-state recall circulators over the past two months, it calls into question the validity of these signatures," Vos said. "Numerous reports in recent weeks of illegal alien circulators, bullying students in school yards, illegally paying people to sign, and collecting signatures outside of district lines will make it necessary to evaluate each individual signature. We have assembled a team to do that."
The commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss the petition against Vos along with "any related recall policy considerations and action."
Jessie Opoien can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vos critics say they have collected signatures to force recall vote
