GAB wants recall primary held May 15, election June 12

MADISON -- Two upcoming dates could prove crucial in the recall elections against Governor Scott Walker and five other Republicans. Monday, March 12th, the Government Accountability Board (GAB) will meet in Madison to discuss a timeline for the recalls.

If the GAB has its way, the recall primary would be held May 15 and the general election on June 12. Those dates are an extension that the GAB is expected to formally request in Madison Monday. The GAB plans to ask a Dane County judge for that extension in order to go through all the petitions and decide if recall elections are necessary.

Right now, the GAB has until March 19 to verify all the recall signatures against Governor Walker and LT. Governor Rebecca Kleefish, which would force the primary on May 1 and the general election on May 29. However, the GAB feels that is an inadequate timeline to review the nearly 1.9 million recall signatures received.

The GAB plans to ask a judge Monday, March 12 for this deadline to be pushed back to April 6, which will push the primary to May and the election to June.

While the Republican party doesn't seem to mind if an extension is granted or not, the Democratic party is strongly opposed to any delay of the election dates.

"There's been enough delay caused by Scott Walker. It advantages him to have a delay because it allows him to leverage the only thing he has left, which is corporate cash," Graham Zielinksi, with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin said.

The GAB is recommending that a recall go forward against all four Republican senators who had petitions submitted against them. Petitions were filed to recall senators Van Wanggaard of Racine, Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls, Pam Galloway of Wausau and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerad of Juneau.

The GAB will meet Monday, March 12 at 9 a.m. in Madison to decide if the extension is needed to go through the remainder of the petitions. If there is, a request will be made official in court Wednesday.