The Government Accountability Board requested Wednesday to extend the time needed to certify recall signatures due to an unprecedented number of petitions filed against lawmakers in recent weeks.
According to Wisconsin state law, the GAB has 31 days to examine and certify a recall petition. The certification deadline for Sen. Dan
Kapanke, R-La Crosse, the first senator to have a recall petition filed against him, would be May 2. The dates for the remaining seven senators facing recall elections would soon follow.
However, the GAB has never before had to simultaneously review eight recall petitions in addition to the Supreme Court race recount which started Wednesday. The GAB reported their resources were being taxed when they needed to begin the recall certification process.
For those reasons, the GAB has proposed a revised schedule which would extend the certification dates to May 31 and hold many of the recall elections July 12.
Dane County Circuit Judge John Markson will examine the motion in a hearing Friday.
