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Four more Wisconsin Republican state senators, including the Senate leader, will face recall elections this year, bringing the number of state lawmakers forced to campaign in special elections to 40 percent of the entire Senate, officials said.

The state agency that oversees elections agreed unanimously on Monday that enough valid signatures by voters were submitted to require all four senators to face recall votes.

The four lawmakers include Senate President Scott Fitzgerald, a chief architect of an anti-union law passed last year that sparked the recall movement.

The date of the votes has not yet been set.

The decision means 13 of the state's 33 senators will have already faced a recall vote or will soon face one since Republican Governor Scott Walker pushed an anti-union law through the legislature last March.

Nine state senators faced recall last summer, six Republicans and three Democrats. Two of the Republicans were defeated, leaving the Republicans with a thin 17 to 16 majority in the chamber. The Democrats were challenged because they opposed the union law.
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The dates for the Senate recall elections have not yet been set in part because the election agency has not completed reviewing the huge volume of signatures seeking Walker's ouster. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/12/us-usa-wisconsin-recall-idUS
BRE82B1CJ20120312 quote Frem:

Then there's

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Wisconsin officials were barred from enforcing laws requiring voters to produce a government-issued photo identification before casting ballots.

The U.S. Justice Department yesterday told Texas officials the state failed to show that the statute signed into law by Governor Rick Perry last year won’t have a discriminatory effect on Latino voters while a Wisconsin state court judge held that an ID law enacted by fellow Republican Governor Scott Walker last year, unconstitutionally burdens the rights of eligible citizens.

The measures had been adopted to combat potential voter fraud.

“Voter fraud is no more poisonous to our democracy than voter suppression,” Dane County, Wisconsin Circuit Judge Richard Niess said in his ruling yesterday barring enforcement of that state’s law. “Indeed they are two heads on the same monster.”

Signed by Walker in May, Wisconsin’s statute required voters to present government-issued photographic proof of identity such as a driver’s license, U.S. passport or an armed forces or college ID. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-12/wisconsin-voter-identifica
tion-law-is-blocked-by-second-state-court-judge like Scotty's not doing so well. There's also

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Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has created a legal defense fund in the wake of an ongoing John Doe investigation into some of those who served as aides to Walker while he was Milwaukee’s county executive. Some say the fact that Walker has set up this legal defense indicates he is also being investigated.

The John Doe investigation into activities during Walker’s time as county executive has already resulted in charges for four former Walker aides and appointees. Now, Walker has announced he has set up a legal defense fund, though he’s said he has “no information to believe he’s the target” of any investigation.

The controversy comes with the circumstances in which an elected official can set up a legal defense fund. Mike Tate, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, says based on the rules, Walker has to at least be under criminal investigation to set up the fund.

“If you are under criminal investigation, about to be charged with crimes, or have been convicted of crimes for illegal use of campaign finances or illegal election practices,” Tate said.

Walker says he falls under none of these rules. “This is literally, purely the Government Accountability Board suggesting per our request – asking them what the proper way to do this was,” Walker said.

Walker says the fund will pay for expenses incurred in cooperating with the John Doe inquiry, and will use no public money.

Tate says he wants to know where the money is coming from. “We think as someone who claims to be the most transparent governor in the nation, that he should come clean about who’s funding his criminal defense. He should come clean about who’s funded it in the past,” Tate said.

“For that process, there’s requirements, disclosures, just like there are with campaign accounts. Once disbursements are made, it all has to be reported through the normal reporting requirements that you get from any other donations,” Walker said.

Walker can transfer unlimited funds from his campaign to the defense fund with contributors’ consent. http://fox6now.com/2012/03/12/walker-sets-up-legal-defense-fund-in-wak
e-of-john-doe-investigation/

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Walker is the first Wisconsin governor ever to set up such a fund.

I'm really beginning to enjoy this year's politics. Almost looks like the people are at the "tipping point" mentioned in another thread. "Awwww wouldn't it be loverly..."