Madison — Wednesday, state elections authorities denied former President Donald Trump supporters' attempt to recall Wisconsin's top elected Republican because they didn't collect enough signatures.
Trump supporters upset with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos' rejection to decertify President Joe Biden's 2020 close win in the state initiated the recall movement. When Vos opposed impeaching state elections commissioner Meagan Wolfe, Trump fans were furious. Trump again criticized Vos and Wolfe last week.
Vos called petition organizers “whack jobs and morons” and said the initiative failed after questioning thousands of signatures. On Thursday, the Wisconsin Elections Commission was set to reject the Vos recall effort for lacking signatures. In a document released Wednesday, commission staff stated the campaign did not collect enough legitimate signatures. Since new boundary lines take effect in November, choosing a recall election district proved difficult.
No matter the district—the one Vos was elected to serve in 2022 or either of the two new ones that incorporate parts of the previous district—the recall did not get enough signatures, according to the staff evaluation. Last Monday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied the elections commission's attempt to define recall district boundaries.
Vos is the GOP-led Legislature's strongest Republican. He became Assembly speaker in 2004 and has held the post since 2013. He ignored a request for comment. Recall organizers did not respond either. Last month, recall organizers began a second recall effort after realizing they might not get enough signatures.
In an interview on The Regular Joe radio show on Tuesday, Trump criticized Vos and called for Wolfe's removal. “I’ve heard so much about Meagan Wolfe, and it’s like unanimous, she shouldn’t be there,” Trump added. Republican Robin Vos allows her to be there. Not understanding. I can't imagine."
Nationwide, Wolfe is a respected elections official. As president of the National Association of State Election Directors and chair of the nonpartisan Electronic Registration Information Center, she helped states maintain accurate voter rolls.
Five Assembly Republicans tried to impeach Wolfe, but Vos halted them. Democrats and the Legislature's nonpartisan attorneys objected to Senate Republicans' September vote to remove Wolfe, arguing that the Senate had no jurisdiction to vote because Wolfe was a holdover and had not been reappointed.
Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul filed to protest that vote, and Republican legislature leaders shifted direction and claimed their vote to fire Wolfe was “symbolic” and had no legal effect.
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