Friday, September 14, 2012
Estimates in February put the cost of recall upwards of $17 million. The real figures are closer to $13 million, which is still a big chunk of change.
The Government Accountability Board issued a press release Friday saying the 2012 recall elections cost taxpayers more than $13 million. Specifically, the statement says the May recall primary ran up a bill of $6.3 million. That figure includes: The June recall general election cost more, coming in at $7.2 million. This amount also accounts for a variety of functions: “Instead of conducting two primaries and two elections this year, Wisconsin election officials will be conducting six elections, which added approximately $13.5 million in unbudgeted costs,” said Kevin Kennedy, director and general counsel of the GAB in the statement. “These unplanned elections also put significant stress on Wisconsin’s clerks, who have many other duties …
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Online blogs accused Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus of planning to destroy ballots from the recall showdown between Gov. Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
Political blogers are accusing Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus of threatening to destroy recall ballots from the June election after open records requests were made to review the ballots. However, the ballots will not be destroyed at this time, according to Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel. “Of course, I have an interest in attempting to avoid Public Records Law violations, especially when destruction of the records in question is imminent,” Schimel said in an email to an attorney asking about the situation. “I think this interest is especially significant when the records in question relate to public confidence in our elections. “Thus, after becoming aware of these issues, I inquired and have been advised that the …
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
In first Patch survey of influential Wisconsin Democrats, it's clear most would prefer Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin face someone other than the former governor in the November election.
When it comes to the Republican primary for Wisconsin's open U.S. Senate seat, the state's Democratic political insiders see the race as a two-man contest between former Gov. Tommy Thompson and businessman Eric Hovde. But when asked whom Democrat Tammy Baldwin would have the best chance of defeating in the general election, these influential Democrats made it clear that Thompson would be her toughest opponent. In Patch's first "Blue Wisconsin" Survey of Democratic influencers throughout the state, 47 percent of the respondents said they thought Hovde would win Tuesday's primary election, while 45 percent said Thompson had the best shot. However, when surveyed on which Republican would give Baldwin the best chance to win in November, only …
Friday, July 6, 2012
With no limits on contributions, Gov. Scott Walker raised $37 million over the course of the recall — roughly the same amount both his opposition and independent groups spent.
Gov. Scott Walker raised $6.7 million in the final days before and weeks immediately after the June 5 recall election, according to his campaign. That brings Walker's total fundraising during the recall to $37 million and his total cash on hand, accumulated since he took office in January 2011, to $1.6 million. Meanwhile, other candidates and independent groups raised $37.4 million during the recall, bringing total spending to more than $70 million. In May, $62 million had been pumped into Wisconsin recalls. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat who lost to Walker in both the 2010 race and the recall, raised about $2.5 million during the recall's home stretch; $6.3 million from March 30 to June 30. He spent $6.6 million and had $250,000 …
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Turnout of nearly 58 percent was highest ever for a gubernatorial race in a non-presidential year, but still fell short of the numbers in recent presidential elections.
Wisconsin's gubernatorial recall election was historic in more ways than one. Yes, the June 5 election between Gov. Scott Walker and Democrat Tom Barrett was the first attempt to recall a governor in Wisconsin history — and only the third time in the nation. But it also set the record for the highest turnout in a Wisconsin governor's race in which the office of president was not also on the ballot. Final certified numbers released Wednesday show that 2.516 million votes were cast in the recall election — or 57.8 percent of the state's voting-age population, according to the state Government Accountability Board, which oversees Wisconsin elections. That's the highest turnout for a gubernatorial election since 1960 — when the presidential …
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Results from a new Marquette University Law School poll put the president and former Governor tops with likely voters from around the state.
If the 2012 Presidential and US Senate elections were held today, President Barack Obama and former Gov. Tommy Thompson would win in Wisconsin. The results were released today as part of the Marquette University Law School poll project during "On the Issues" with Mike Gousha and Professor Charles Franklin. According to the numbers, Obama leads presumed Republican challenger Mitt Romney 49 to 43 percent, down from 51 to 43 percent on May 30. In a match-up against both his Republican senate rivals and Democrat Tammy Baldwin, Thompson takes both races. Against former US Rep. Mark Neumann, newcomer Eric Hovde, and Republican speaker of the State Assembly Jeff Fitzgerald, Thompson comes in with 34 percent of support from likely voters compared …
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Use Patch's interactive tool to get detailed results on how area communities voted in the recall election.
How did Waukesha County municipalities and the rest of the Milwaukee area vote in the June 5 recall election between Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democrat Tom Barrett? Here's a breakdown of votes you won't find anywhere else - at look at who carried each of the 89 municipalities in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Racine counties. Use our interactive tool to search for detailed results for the entire metro area or just your hometown.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Experts, exit polls point to numerous reasons why Republican governor defeated Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett: money, turnout and displeasure over the recall process.
Tuesday’s recall election was the ultimate course of action that Wisconsin residents could have taken to unseat Republican Gov. Scott Walker. However, the nature of the recall process itself might have been a big reason why Walker became the first U.S. governor to survive a recall attempt when he defeated Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Just 49 minutes after polls closed, major news outlets across the country called the race for Walker as vote tallies trickled in. Ultimately, Walker posted a 7-point victory — garnering 53 percent of the vote to Barrett’s 46 percent. In 2010, Walker won by an almost identical margin — 52 percent to 47 percent. “Unlike a normal election, a recall puts the burden on the challenger to explain why the incumbent …
Were you at Gov. Scott Walker’s victory party or at Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett’s election night shindig? Add your photos to Patch.
Cameras were flashing at the two campaign parties during Tuesday’s recall election when Gov. Scott Walker won his election, defeating Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Were you at one of the election night parties? Patch was at the parties, so check out our pictures from the evening. And while you are at it, add photos of your own to the gallery.
A busy day at the polls leads to an unheard of 86 percent turnout, and a look at the last Barrett-Walker match up shows we like our statewide races.
The buzzword for Tuesday's recall election against Governor Scott Walker was 'historic,' which often can be an overused word, but a glance at the numbers as they were totaled makes you wonder who DIDN'T vote. Clerks were ready for a heavy turnout and had receive 125 percent of the ballots needed for registered voters, which was a good move. Every polling station reported a high turnout of new voters and anecdotally, there wasn't an instance where Patch visited a polling station that we didn't see a voter falling into the 18-20 year-old category voting for the first time. How we voted Muskego was Walker country, in keeping with the rest of Waukesha County, so it was no surprise to see lopsided results no matter the district. What was …
Steve ®
9:28 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
I take that as you didn't write the check to support the WDR in a "cause" you feel justified. We will continue to make cuts to the public workforce and you are directly responsible for their loss of employment. more ›