After three separate judicial orders to call special elections to fill two vacant legislative seats, Gov. Scott Walker has complied with the rulings and issued an executive order to hold new elections.
Democrats have celebrated the ruling as a victory for fair representation as well as another opportunity to flip potentially vulnerable Republican seats.
“There is nothing more fundamental to our democracy than the right to vote,” said Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse. “Despite Gov. Walker’s best attempts to block elections and deny 200,000 voters their constitutional right to representation, justice prevailed and the courts correctly ruled that Republicans can’t ignore the law.”
Walker and other GOP leaders initially challenged the ruling, calling for an extraordinary legislative session to change state law regarding special elections and appealing the decision to a higher court, which also ruled against the governor.
Republican leaders had argued that since the legislative session was close to an end, new elections would be a waste of taxpayer money.
But after a third ruling, the governor relented, issuing an executive order for the special elections to be held on June 12 to fill the vacancies in the 1st Senate and 42nd Assembly districts, who have been unrepresented since late last year.
